What Did Africa Actually Get From BRICS?

The 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi ended with several commitments that could affect Africa, particularly around the continent’s representation in global institutions, access to development finance and the way African countries trade with other emerging economies.

The two-day summit, held on September 12 and 13 under India’s chairship, brought together the expanded BRICS membership, including South Africa, Egypt and Ethiopia. Leaders adopted the New Delhi Declaration, which covered issues ranging from global governance and trade to development, technology and international conflicts.

For Africa, one of the clearest outcomes was political. BRICS again supported greater representation for developing countries in global decision-making and specifically recognised the aspirations of African countries for reform of the United Nations Security Council.

The declaration referred to the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration, which form part of Africa’s long-standing position that the continent should have permanent representation on the Security Council. BRICS also called for greater participation of developing countries, particularly from Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean, in international institutions.

This gives African countries support from a larger group of emerging economies, including China and Russia, but it does not itself change the composition of the Security Council. Reform would still require a much wider agreement within the United Nations.

The economic side of the summit was more practical. BRICS leaders backed a stronger role for the New Development Bank in financing infrastructure and sustainable development projects in emerging markets and developing countries. They also supported the continued expansion of NDB membership and welcomed the launch of the BRICS-NDB Knowledge Portal, which brings together development experiences and projects financed by the bank.

The scale of the bank already shows why this matters. According to the New Development Bank, it had approved US$42.9 billion in financing across 139 projects by the end of 2025. Its areas of financing include clean energy, transport infrastructure, water and sanitation, environmental protection, social infrastructure and digital infrastructure. The bank says selected projects in its portfolio are expected to add 2,400 megawatts of renewable and clean- energy generation capacity.

For Africa, this is important because the NDB is already a source of development finance on the continent. South Africa is a founding member of the bank, while Egypt joined in 2023. The bank has financed projects in both countries, including infrastructure and development projects.

The summit therefore did not create a new BRICS infrastructure fund for Africa, nor did it announce that US$42.9 billion would be directed to the continent. Instead, it reinforced the role of an existing development bank whose financing could provide another route for African countries looking for long-term funding for infrastructure and sustainable development.

BRICS also continued discussions around using local currencies for trade and improving cross-border payment systems. The declaration supports greater use of national currencies in trade and investment and continued work on making different payment systems more interoperable. There was no new BRICS currency announced at the summit.

For African economies, this could become important if easier payment systems eventually reduce some of the costs and barriers involved in trading with BRICS markets. But this remains a process. The declaration does not mean that African businesses can immediately use a new BRICS payment system.

South Africa also used the summit to push for stronger investment in African infrastructure linked to the African Continental Free Trade Area. President Cyril Ramaphosa has argued for BRICS cooperation that supports infrastructure, industrialisation and greater value addition to Africa’s natural resources.

This is particularly relevant to critical minerals. African countries hold many of the resources needed for industries such as batteries, electric vehicles and renewable energy, but the continent still faces the challenge of capturing more value through processing and manufacturing rather than exporting raw materials.

The New Delhi Summit therefore did not deliver one major economic deal for Africa. Instead, it strengthened several areas where African countries are already trying to build greater economic influence and reduce their dependence on traditional sources of finance and trade.

Africa has gained stronger political support for reform of global institutions and continued access to BRICS-led financial and economic cooperation. The next question is whether these commitments will translate into projects, financing, trade and industries that create measurable value on the continent.