Maya Nikolskaya is Acting Director of the Centre for African Studies of the Institute for International Studies at MGIMO University, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She is an expert of the Russian International Affairs Council, a member of the Expert Council on the Development and Support of Comprehensive Partnership with African Countries under the State Duma of the Russian Federation, the Commission on International Development Assistance of Rossotrudnichestvo and the Valdai Discussion Club. Since 2019 she has been teaching the Swahili language at MGIMO University.
In your opinion, how does broad representation of the African continent in BRICS contribute to the self-perception of states and their positioning in the global dialogue?
Africa is indeed now occupying an increasingly prominent place in international affairs, and we can see this through a wide range of indicators. We see how the African Union has become a member of the G20. At present, South Africa is assuming the presidency of the Group of Twenty. All of this comes down to the fact that Africa, as Africans themselves say, is making its voice louder on the international stage. And we can observe this both in the case of the African Union and in that of individual states.
Currently within BRICS there is an African bloc: as full members – the Republic of South Africa, Egypt, and Ethiopia; as partners – Nigeria and Uganda. Algeria has also joined the New Development Bank, in effect also acting as a partner of the group, although it is not officially designated as such.
African countries, firstly, want to present themselves as a pole of world politics. Secondly, they are increasingly fitting into the international architecture, wishing to influence existing institutions and being interested in the creation of new ones. What we are observing reflects objective trends linked to Africa’s economic and demographic growth. These trends will continue. It is therefore logical that Africa wants its voice to be more noticeable in world affairs. African states wish to use BRICS, among other institutions, as a platform to enhance their representation.
States of the Dark Continent often apply BRICS’ experience in their national policy. Can this be regarded as one of the results of integrating new participants into the work of the group?
African states indeed have so-called national development strategies, visions – long-term strategies until 2040 or 2050. They are subdivided into five-year plans. These are short-term plans with specific KPIs.
Indeed, in the Nigerian and Ugandan strategies we can notice references to the experience of other states, including BRICS countries – China,India, and, Brazil. This primarily concerns various industrialisation programmes: how todigitalise and, how to make the so-called leapfrogging, that is, to skip several stages of industrial development.
What mechanisms within BRICS could enhance the exchange of successful practices in different areas of cooperation?
A great many mechanisms have been launched: there are ideas for establishing a Grain Exchange, a platform on precious metals, a common platform on vaccines and on nuclear medicine.
What, in principle, can BRICS countries give each other? In my view, primarily technology transfer. What does BRICS offer Africa? BRICS says, ‘We will give you technologies; we will give you investments so that you can grow and develop. For Russia, for example, this is important, because we are very interested in the African market as a market for our technologies. We are interested in the African labour market, and in the next 10 years it will be of great interest to the whole world, since demographic growth in developed countries is slowing down, while Africa has an enormous workforce.
Accordingly, there are very many people who would like to work on various projects, both in African countries themselves and abroad. The task of BRICS countries is to help Africa develop this human capital. BRICS states need full-fledged partners in Africa with whom interesting economic projects can be implemented, and for this scientific and technological transfer is required.
What else is needed to develop human capital? Platforms that will promote people-to-people contacts. All Africans say that they lack points of interaction. For example, a volunteer platform could be created for all BRICS member and partner states so that young people from Russia could go, for instance, to South Africa to work with animals.
Classic formats of academic exchanges and internships for students and teachers will also contribute to building stronger connections.
The African continent has enormous potential for the development of renewable energy. Can Africa in the future become a driver of the energy transition?
Africa will undoubtedly play a major role in rethinking what green energy is and what the energy transition should look like, especially for developing countries. Is nuclear energy green? It is. But how many African states are currently implementing peaceful nuclear projects? Very few. Meanwhile, this is the green energy Africa needs, rather than wind turbines, which require very large investments to create the necessary infrastructure. So there are indeed questions here.
What does it mean to move to green energy, and what do we mean by it? To switch to solar panels in the coming years? I do not believe in that. Nigeria is the largest producer of oil and gas, ranking among the world’s top ten in reserves. Egypt has a high proportion of natural gas in its energy consumption structure. Ethiopia is a country with huge hydropower potential. South Africa is Africa’s largest coal power and, one might say, one of the key suppliers to global coal markets.
African countries will continue to promote this idea – they are already doing so at various international platforms, and BRICS will also help them in matters related to ecology, energy and financing. Africans emphasise that, despite accusations of failing to comply with emissions standards, their continent accounts for the smallest volume of emissions globally, if assessed objectively. For example, Gabon was the first state to overfulfil all its commitments on green KPIs.
The main goal is industrialisation, without which economic growth is impossible. And if this quasi-green energy is imposed on states, the African economy could simply be “stifled”, depriving it of the chance to develop.
BRICS countries continue to work on creating new settlement mechanisms. Do you think this will contribute to the growth of trade and investment between African countries and within BRICS? How could the development of digital currencies affect this?
This is indeed the bet – that alternative mechanisms must be developed. However, this requires a very deep systemic restructuring.
At present there is only one African state that has its own digital currency. This is Nigeria. It issues the so-called e-naira.
As for a single currency within BRICS, there is no talk of that for now, but settlements are of course needed. The simplest thing to do at the start is to open correspondent accounts in our and African banks. A BRICS Pay system must also be developed, and this issue addressed systematically. Then trade and investment will become much easier.
In many studies South Africa is described as a link between BRICS and the countries of the Dark Continent. Do you agree with this? How do you see South Africa’s role in shaping the group’s agenda in the near future?
South Africa has indeed played a major role in ensuring that Africa’s voice is heard loudly at all BRICS summits. Let us not forget that when South Africa joined this group in 2011, it was a global sensation. For Africa this was truly a very significant statement of itself. Apart from BRICS, there is also the IBSA group – India, Brazil, and South Africa.
The theme of cooperation along the Global South track is very important for South Africa. That is, South Africa is a state which, firstly, works with Africa and pulls along the whole continent, and secondly, is ready to work along the Global South track with other actively developing markets.
It turns out that African countries now in one way or another involved with BRICS are among the strongest states on the continent, striving to play an important role both politically and economically.
Which projects of the New Development Bank, in your view, could in the near future have an impact on Africa’s development?
First and foremost, in the field of transport infrastructure. In 2023, about 39–40 per cent of all projects were aimed at supporting transport infrastructure. In second place was water supply – projects related to providing the population with clean water and water resources. In third place – energy.
However, digital infrastructure will certainly come to the forefront, because African countries need digitalisation; they need modern technologies and satellites to monitor agricultural land, as their food security depends on this.
Recently I read an interesting piece about ubuntu – the traditional African ethical and philosophical concept based on the principles of humanism and mutual respect. In my view, it resonates with the postulates of BRICS. In your opinion, how does this coincidence of views help bring countries, peoples and cultures closer together?
In the academic community there are some researchers who say that this is an outdated concept. But it cannot be outdated: there are many aspects related to the foreign policy of African states which in turn have grown out of ubuntu. For example, the desire to take common interests into account and the aspiration to enter into partnerships with other countries.
In an ethical and value sense, BRICS, in my opinion, is the successor to the Group of 77. Its activities have not been officially terminated. It is the second-largest organisation after the United Nations.
There is also the Non-Aligned Movement, which emerged shortly after the Bandung Conference of 1955. The Spirit of Bandung is a spirit of hope. It seems to me that BRICS has very well captured it within itself as a symbol of striving for a new, fairer world order that will benefit all.
Photo: TV BRICS
Самые
актуальные новости стран БРИКС https://tvbrics.com