BRICS Group to Significantly Expand Next Year

The BRICS nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — will be welcoming at least six more countries into their fold next year.

Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, made the announcement today, Thursday 24 August, during the final proceedings of a three-day annual summit held in Johannesburg, Gauteng.

Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates will all be joining the international collective from 1 January next year. Other expansion phases for the group are also expected to follow as the BRICS nations seek to widen their influence.

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, was thrilled with the decision as he took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share his thoughts: “A great moment for Ethiopia as the BRICS leaders endorse our entry into this group today.”

“Ethiopia stands ready to cooperate with all for an inclusive and prosperous global order,” he added.

Xi Jinping, President of China, was also excited about the bloc’s expansion, simply saying: “This membership expansion is historic” during his closing remarks.

According to reports, the BRICS group considers itself a counterweight to Western powers, and aim to build dominance in the upcoming years to eventually reshape global governance into a “multipolar” world order.

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