South African business leaders have supported calls to scale up economic activity among BRICS countries.
This follows the BRICS Business Council meetings and Business Forum held in New Delhi. The meetings preceded the BRICS summit and called for measurable targets to boost intra-BRICS trade and investment, including:
• Identifying and proposing solutions to the ten most significant barriers to intra-BRICS trade;
• Supporting 100 BRICS start-ups each year to scale into other member markets; and
• Facilitating 1,000 new cross-border business partnerships, supported by annual progress reviews.
“The meetings reinforced the need to move beyond policy dialogue towards measurable commercial outcomes, stronger business to business links and accountable implementation,” said Busi Mabuza, Chairperson of the SA BRICS Business Council.
For South Africa, a central priority will be to address the SA BRICS+ trade imbalance by converting discussions into measurable transactions and advancing the relationship beyond traditional buyer-seller arrangements towards co investment, technology collaboration and improved market access.
The SA Council will also support the India-SACU Preferential Trade Agreement negotiations process with evidence-based private sector input, informed by ongoing analysis of trade data and business priorities.
“We will also work with fellow BBC chapters to identify the identified ten most significant barriers to intra BRICS trade and develop practical solutions, while ensuring that South African private sector priorities inform the India-SACU Preferential Trade Agreement negotiations process,” added Mabuza.
The Council’s consolidated recommendations presented to BRICS+ Heads of State include a focus on:
• Strengthening intra-BRICS trade and investment by reducing regulatory and logistical barriers, improving standards cooperation and building resilient supply chains;
• Mobilising development finance, blended capital and digital financial solutions for MSMEs, strategic infrastructure and bankable cross-border projects;
• Accelerating digital transformation and responsible artificial intelligence through interoperable infrastructure, cybersecurity, joint research, skills exchange and commercial partnerships; and
• Driving implementation through measurable project pipelines, business matching, technology transfer and workforce development, with an emphasis on inclusive participation and tangible gains in trade, investment, productivity and resilience.
These priorities are supported by a broader focus on economic resilience, secure supply chains, local currency settlement, efficient cross-border payment systems, MSME growth, digital trade, responsible artificial intelligence and energy security.
These outcomes form part of the broader programme of the 18th BRICS Summit, hosted in New Delhi this past weekend. The theme of the international gathering was Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.
“The adoption of the New Delhi Declaration signals a shared commitment to a reinvigorated and reformed multilateral system, stronger global financial governance and deeper cooperation in trade, technology and sustainable development,” Mabuza said.
These outcomes build on a year of ministerial, Sherpa and business engagements under India’s 2026 BRICS Chairship. South Africa is set to assume the BRICS Chairship in 2028. The SA BRICS Business Council plans to continue working closely with the Departments of Trade, Industry & Competition, and International Relations and Cooperation, the business community and fellow Council chapters to translate agreed recommendations into practical, measurable outcomes.
Annual progress reviews will be conducted to ensure that these initiatives reflect commercial realities, strengthen regional competitiveness and market access, and deliver measurable outcomes with continuity and accountability.
