President Akufo-Addo is optimistic that a robust partnership with BRICS countries will contribute to the development of Africa.
He said this move, coupled with a healthy trade framework on the continent, will bring about immense progress on the continent.
The President expressed this sentiment at the BRICS Summit in South Africa, just a day after Saudi Arabia, Iran, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the UAE opted to become BRICS members.
“I am confident that a strong partnership with the BRICS nations can help construct a prosperous and self-confident Africa,” he said on Thursday, August 24.
While addressing the attendees in Johannesburg, President Akufo-Addo emphasized the need for essential reforms within the United Nations, particularly in the structure of the Security Council.
“The contemporary world has moved on significantly from the post-1945 world which gave rise to the birth of the United Nations and the make-up of the Security Council. The world of 2023 is not the world of 1945.”
He highlighted that the dynamics that originally shaped the UN’s establishment have evolved, yet many of the challenges persist.
At present, he believes that the existing system is inequitable and places developing nations, including African member states, at a disadvantage.
He insisted that the challenges that necessitated the creation of the UN will “continue until a fair system is out in place.”
“A system that reflects the new balance, no longer based on who won or lost the Second World War, but on the major contemporary and future balance,” he added.
Already, the Global Chair of BRICS Business Council has urged African leaders to move away from ideological constraints and instead pursue the development of their countries.
Busi Mabuza believes this can be achieved by embracing non-traditional alliances and partnerships that will open new frontiers of mutual growth and Investment opportunities for citizens.
Over 40 countries have shown interest in joining BRICS, with 23 formally submitting applications for membership.
This expansion further solidifies BRICS as a coalition of significant global economies, representing a quarter of the world’s economy and 40 percent of the global population.
BRICS, originally composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, was formed by adding South Africa to the existing BRIC in 2010.
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