KENYAN President William Ruto has revealed plans for the East African Country to join Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS).
In a statement by State House dated Monday, November 4, it was revealed that Kenya was planning to join the organisation that was formed in the late 2000s.
Ruto, in advocating for Kenya's bid, lobbied China to support the move.
" President Ruto requested China’s support for Kenya’s bid to join BRICS and for the election of Kenya’s candidate to the position of African Union Commission chairperson," read the statement in part.
BRICS was formed by Brazil, Russia, India, and China and later joined by South Africa. The organisation was formed to enhance security and economic cooperation between the member states.
However, BRICS has decided it’s not letting any new countries join as full members this year. Speaking at the summit he hosted in Kazan, Russian President Vladmin Putin, made it clear that the current roster of nine full members is enough, at least for now.
Saudi Arabia, despite all the hype and an earlier invitation, officially said no to the offer and didn’t even sign on as a partner country.
Thirteen new countries have been welcomed as BRICS official partners, giving them a seat at the table, but not full membership status. Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam have all stepped into the mix, working toward a potential future membership.
Saudi Arabia’s absence from the official members got everyone talking. With the Middle East powerhouse not signing up, despite the August 2023 expansion talks, it seems like Riyadh’s priorities are elsewhere.
But BRICS isn’t waiting on anyone. They’ve got enough momentum with the countries that are already on board, especially with the newest additions like Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the UAE joining the original five: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
The summit wasn’t just a chance for these nations to take pictures and exchange handshakes. The big focus was on money. BRICS is pushing hard for alternative payment systems that can bypass Western-controlled networks like SWIFT.
Russia’s been locked out of SWIFT since it invaded Ukraine, and now Putin’s doubling down on BRICS creating a new cross-border payments system that allows settlements in local currencies.
While Putin’s playing the long game, it’s also a diplomatic flex. Turkey’s President, Tayyip Erdogan, showed up despite his country being a NATO member. He’s long been interested in getting Turkey involved with BRICS. Even the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres popped by.
The New Development Bank (NDB), which BRICS launched, is expected to make around $5 billion in loans this year.
Yeah, that’s a tiny fraction compared to the World Bank’s $72.8 billion, but the drive is there. But the dollar isn’t going away tomorrow, but more countries are looking at BRICS as an insurance policy. They’re looking at a world where Western rules don’t dominate.
But as BRICS gets bigger, tensions between member countries’ national interests grow too. It’s tough to get everyone on the same page when you have countries like China and India, which aren’t exactly best friends.
BRICS now accounts for a fifth of global trade.