South African President Cyril Ramaphosa welcomes Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he arrives for the opening of the G20 Leaders' Summit at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg on November 22, 2025. As BRICS expands, the opportunity for India and South Africa to redefine their global economic roles grows stronger.
The global economic centre of gravity is shifting, and nowhere is that more evident than in the rapid expansion of BRICS.
As the bloc's 2026 Chair, India assumes leadership at a defining moment when geopolitical tensions, slowing growth in advanced economies, rising debt and a fragmenting global trading system are accelerating the transition towards a more multipolar world.
Against this backdrop, the enlarged BRICS offers India, South Africa and other member countries a unique opportunity to strengthen trade, investment and development cooperation while giving the Global South a greater voice in shaping international economic governance.
What began as a five-member grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa has evolved into a coalition of 11 member states and 10 partner countries.
