On April 22–23, 2026, the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISS) hosted an international conference dedicated to deepening cooperation within BRICS. The event brought together representatives of the academic and expert communities, the diplomatic corps, and relevant government agencies, who discussed the prospects for the development of the association amid the transformation of the global system of international relations. Researchers from the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences made a significant contribution to the conference by presenting their analysis of the African dimension of BRICS and its current areas of development.
Daria Zelenova, PhD in Political Science and Head of the Centre for African Strategy in BRICS at the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, took part in the session “BRICS in the Future: Prospects for the Development of the Association amid New Global Challenges.” In her remarks, Dr. Zelenova emphasized the uniqueness of the BRICS format as a global structure bringing together countries with different political systems and levels of economic development. According to her, the association’s appeal for African states lies in its inclusive agenda and the equality of its participants, who jointly shape the parameters of a new global governance architecture.
Daria Zelenova highlighted South Africa’s special role in the “Africanization” of the BRICS agenda and in promoting a pan-African vision within the association. She also stressed the need to take into account the diversity of foreign policy positioning among African BRICS members and new partners. On the one hand, they strategically use the association to advance their national interests; on the other, they seek to participate constructively in shaping a new world architecture based on the principles of solidarity, equality, respect for sovereign development, and diversity.
In addition to the economic motives behind African countries’ participation in BRICS — which centre on creating alternative payment systems, diversifying development assistance channels, and reorienting value chains in line with African interests — political aspirations should also be taken into account. Each African BRICS member and partner sees itself as a leader of its own subregion, which may lead to growing competition over the formulation of priority areas for the African agenda within the association. In Daria Zelenova’s view, cooperation between BRICS and the African Union should be considered as a possible scenario for the further development of the association’s African track. The spirit of BRICS is close to the agenda of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and, for many African politicians, represents a continuation of the ideas and principles laid down at the Bandung Conference.
