BRICS plus: The 15th edition of the BRICS summit is approaching and the alliance may soon expand. What is interesting here is this expansion will happen with the arrival of several African countries in particular.
As many countries apply for joining the BRICS, here we discuss about the five nations who might just have the highest possibility of being admitted into the BRICS plus.
BRICS plus expansion
BRICS may include a few African countries too very soon. Anil Sookal, the South African ambassador to the BRICS recently confirmed, during an interview, that thirteen countries had officially submitted applications to join the group of emerging economies.
Further, this announced enlargement of the organization will also be at the heart of the debates at the next BRICS summit, which is scheduled for June 2 and 3, 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa.
The BRICS are already considered the current major emerging powers, with a contribution reaching 31.5 % of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023 against 30.7% for the G7.
As per the report, for the moment only a few names of African countries wishing to join the BRICS have been revealed. However, we at TFI bring to you 5 countries that are highly likely to be admitted to the BRICS plus and these countries are Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya and Somalia.
Let’s discuss why these countries have higher chances for being included in the BRICS plus.
The BRICS is seen as an alternative to the “US-centric” IMF and the World Bank. Thus, it is possible that any country that is close to the West or controlled by it might not get the preference for admission.
Further, another criteria for it could be the strategic importance of the country in question.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia’s chances are high as the country is very strategically located. Considering Ethiopia and Eritrea as one bloc, it is close to the Red Sea which is a critical link in a network of global waterways.
Recently, the TPLF war came to an end where the Ethiopian forces were supported by Eritrea’s army against the TPLF, backed by the US. Moreover, if Ethiopia is included in the BRICS, Eritrea too is sure to gain from it.
Read More: It’s official, USA sponsored TPLF
Kenya
Kenya under William Ruto has been taking major initiatives to strengthen African unity and reduce dependence on the West.
Along with it, Kenya also has a thriving port of Mombasa, which is the gateway and exit point for cargo belonging to a vast hinterland that include Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Tanzania, South Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia.
Egypt
Egypt’s current President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is a great diplomat. El-Sisi was also recently invited as the chief guest to India’s 74th Republic Day celebrations, which is one of the biggest members of the BRICS.
Read More: Egypt has joined BRICS’ de-dollarisation campaign
Further, Egypt had also joined the BRICS New Development Bank recently, which can be seen as a boost to BRICS’ de-dollarisation campaign.
Nigeria
Nigeria is already a member of the BRICS-MNA and is also the largest economy in the continent. Nigeria is a resource-rich country that includes crude oil, natural gas, coal etc. All of this contributes to Nigeria’s chances of being admitted to BRICS plus.
Somalia
Somalia’s strategic location is unparalleled. It has the longest national coastline in Africa. It is also one of the poorest countries in the world dealing with a huge political crisis in Somaliland, where Western meddling has made it worse.
Thus, Somalia definitely needs an invitation to a bigger group like BRICS in order for it to increase its “geopolitical weight” to face the West and also to deal with its economic troubles.
As expansion of the BRICS is slated to be at the heart of the debates at the next BRICS summit scheduled for June 2 and 3, 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa, these countries do have a high chance of being included in the group.
However, this is only a hypothesis and the real outcomes of a possible BRICS enlargement are awaited.
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