BRICS will continue to actively develop interaction with organisations and associations. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in 2024 at the BRICS Plus meeting of foreign ministers. According to experts, it is precisely such cooperation that helps consolidate the efforts of the Global South countries in building a multipolar world and develops dialogue between partner organisations and economic cooperation. Most importantly, cooperation at the level of groups and alliances encourages countries to develop common approaches to shared challenges, while simultaneously strengthening the role of the international structures that unite them.
However, this kind of partnership is not without its pitfalls. These include differing national interests and even a lack of mutual trust, which is necessary for the formation of, for example, a single currency or a unified payment system. Will BRICS and its partners be able to find a balance between defending their own interests and implementing collective goals?
BRICS, the SCO, the African Union: goals and synergy
BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the African Union, and other structures such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) are organisations and structures of the Global South.
They are united not only by shared economic and political interests but also by what is known as overlapping membership. This is a situation in which states that are members of one association are simultaneously part of other regional groups. For example, four BRICS countries – India, Iran, China, and Russia – are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. BRICS members South Africa, Ethiopia and Egypt are also members of the African Union. Indonesia and BRICS partner countries Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand are members of ASEAN. Russia and such BRICS partners as Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are members of the CIS.
Thus, due to numerous overlaps in membership and interests, a dialogue of partner organisations is taking shape. In an exclusive interview with TV BRICS, expert in global politics and professor at the Academy of Geopolitical Problems Anatoly Otyrba draws attention to the fact that today BRICS, the SCO and the African Union are forming interwoven contours of interaction within the global financial system.
“BRICS acts as a multilateral negotiating platform […]. The SCO serves as the strategic core of Eurasian stability, relying on energy, security and infrastructure complementarity,” Anatoly Otyrba explains.
On the one hand, this makes it possible to engage on an equal footing and build a truly multipolar partnership, while on the other hand, it weakens such alliances. After all, one way or another, countries that are members of associations and groups have to confront economic and political challenges independently.
“The SCO is already developing barter and digital settlements outside SWIFT; BRICS prefers a phased transition through the R5+ basket and strengthening the role of national currencies […]; the African Union is seeking not just a new currency but a mechanism for decolonising monetary policy – up to the creation of the Afro, backed by continental resources and digital infrastructure,” Anatoly Otyrba believes.
Against the backdrop of progress towards the shared large-scale goal of strengthening a multipolar world, BRICS, the SCO and the African Union are also striving to develop economic cooperation in the current realities. However, most often this cooperation is built not at the level of rather heterogeneous structures, but through interaction between member states.
Economic cooperation between BRICS and the SCO
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was established in 2001. Initially, its key objective was to ensure peace, security and stability in the region. Over time, however, the SCO has moved towards active cooperation in the development of transport and logistics infrastructure, the interbank sphere and the economy. In this context, experts particularly highlight the recent decision to establish the SCO Development Bank. This was announced in early September 2025 at the summit in Tianjin, China.
Some global media outlets described this event as one of the most significant geoeconomic developments of the decade. The reason is that the SCO Development Bank is intended not only to finance infrastructure projects in Asia but also to create an alternative payment system – precisely the kind of system that is also anticipated within BRICS. Essentially, the initiative reflects the aspiration of developing countries for financial sovereignty, albeit for now only at the regional level.
“It is assumed that efforts will be made in this context to create and integrate national payment systems – first and foremost the payment systems of Russia, China and India. It is also assumed that a platform linked to clearing settlements will be created,” Professor, Chief Research Fellow at the Institute for the Research of International Economic Relations of Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, RAS expert and RANS academician Valery Abramov told TV BRICS in an exclusive interview.
According to experts, transferring even 30–40 per cent of mutual trade to this platform would be equivalent to US$700–800 billion. This would allow participating countries to save billions on banking commissions. If the plan is successfully implemented, the world will witness the emergence of a truly multipolar financial system, whose principles could later be extended to BRICS countries or even the entire Global South.
As for direct economic cooperation between BRICS and the SCO, they currently lack joint institutions such as banks, funds or trade agreements.
“Interaction is limited to dialogue. At forums and in working groups, infrastructure corridors, the digital economy and coordination of positions in international organisations are discussed. Real economic projects are implemented mainly through bilateral ties between member states, rather than through institutional BRICS–SCO cooperation,” Anatoly Otyrba explains.
BRICS and the African Union
The African Union (AU) is one of the continent’s longest-standing associations. Its predecessor was the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), founded in 1963. For a long time, Africa remained more of an object than a subject of international relations. The OAU, and later the AU, succeeded in transforming the structure into an effective international organisation capable of developing a unified pan-African agenda. Thanks to this, African countries act as a united front in international institutions.
The connecting links between BRICS and the African Union are Egypt, Ethiopia and South Africa. Other African countries – Uganda and Nigeria – are partners of the group. This indicates the growing role of the African continent’s presence within the grouping. Moreover, since South Africa joined BRICS in 2011, the country has consistently integrated pan-continental interests into the platform’s activities, strengthening Africa’s voice on the international stage.
Given that the BRICS format offer participation not only in annual summits but also in more than 60 intra-group institutions, business communities and expert centres, the AU and the group gain the opportunity for dialogue across all key areas. More than 200 annual events are open for cooperation.
Such cooperation is highly mutually beneficial and promising. “The BRICS partnership with the African Union is strategically significant,” says Anatoly Otyrba. “It expands the grouping’s economic influence on a dynamically developing continent, opens access to natural resources and new markets, and strengthens the position of the Global South in reforming the global financial system.”
In the future, this may result in joint infrastructure projects.
“Points of convergence of national interests lie in the development of logistics and transport infrastructure projects, the creation of enterprises that ensure the development of deposits in African Union countries, and the production of goods with high added value,” Valery Abramov told TV BRICS in an exclusive interview.
At the same time, experts emphasise that African Union countries today demonstrate high rates of economic growth and possess significant human resources due to population growth. Most importantly, they represent expanding markets that are of interest to many countries today.
The likelihood of the AU joining BRICS
Experts are also considering a scenario in which the African Union becomes a BRICS member, despite the significant differences between the two structures. BRICS is a platform-type grouping, while the AU is a formal international organisation representing the interests of countries from a single continent. Recently, the organisation became a full-fledged member of the G20, and expanded participation in BRICS could give the AU greater influence at G20 events. A second scenario involves the independent accession of African countries. In this case, the AU within BRICS could become a platform for voicing the interests of small and medium-sized states. According to analysts, following Nigeria’s accession to BRICS as a partner country, the likelihood of the second scenario has increased significantly.
The New Development Bank and the African Union
Thanks to BRICS participation, South Africa received a loan of about US$417.2 million from the New Development Bank in 2025. The funds will be used to modernise four key national highways, strengthen links between the country’s regions and increase economic resilience. A year earlier, the BRICS Bank approved a loan of US$1 billion for South Africa for water supply projects. The funds were allocated as part of a municipal infrastructure grant. In May 2025, the New Development Bank officially admitted Algeria as a member state. According to NDB President Dilma Rousseff, the country plays an important role not only in the economy of North Africa but also globally. Ethiopia has also expressed hope of joining the BRICS Bank, as repeatedly stated by officials of the BRICS member country. Experts interpret BRICS’ active engagement with African Union countries through the NDB as a signal of trust and a possible deepening and expansion of ties in the future.
The EAEU, the CIS and ASEAN
The EAEU, the CIS and ASEAN do not have a fully-fledged system of integration among themselves; however, these three organisations are united by an interest in coordination with BRICS, Professor at the Academy of Geopolitical Problems Anatoly Otyrba told TV BRICS. The EAEU is actively working on joint initiatives with BRICS in the fields of industry, the development of transport corridors, financial settlements in national currencies, the creation of digital services and technology transfer. Thus, the Eurasian Economic Union is organically integrating into the multipolar economic system being formed on the basis of BRICS. Interaction between EAEU and BRICS countries shows annual growth in trade and transport volumes, which will continue to increase as multimodal corridors in Eurasia and the North–South corridor develop.
Representatives of the CIS participate in BRICS summit events. According to experts, both structures share related values and views on the world order. Moreover, Russia is an important player in both BRICS and the CIS, which facilitates the building of horizontal ties.
“The CIS participates in dialogue with BRICS through the BRICS Plus format, emphasising the convergence of core principles: equality, mutual respect and rejection of unilateral sanctions. For the CIS, cooperation with BRICS is an opportunity to strengthen its position in world affairs, relying on the shared Eurasian potential in the economy and transport,” Anatoly Otyrba emphasises.
As for ASEAN, in China, for example, it is believed that BRICS can play a key role in supporting the association’s countries. The grouping is capable of becoming a bridge for technology and investment. Joint research centres could reduce the cost of geological exploration and help develop agriculture and climate resilience. Chinese companies, for instance, could invest in transport modernisation and electric vehicle infrastructure in Indonesia, while Brazil could share experience in bioenergy, and the BRICS New Development Bank could provide financing for geothermal, wind farm and smart grid projects in Southeast Asian countries.
The contours of a multipolar network of alliances
Experts view the further development of relations between BRICS and other alliances, and the formation of a network of Global South groupings, with moderate optimism. All these structures (the SCO, AU, EAEU, CIS, and ASEAN) are united by an interest in creating a more representative and fair international order and expanding trade and economic cooperation.
“The key drivers are the need for alternative payment mechanisms, the development of transport and logistics corridors, and cooperation in high-tech sectors. At the same time, the level of readiness for integration varies: BRICS and the SCO already have working dialogue formats, while interaction with the AU and ASEAN remains episodic,” Anatoly Otyrba says.
Diverging interests among participants and the lack of unified standards hinder the development of relations. In addition, the groupings have different decision-making formats.
According to experts, the success of interaction will depend on the ability of the parties to develop flexible cooperation formats, minimise bureaucratic barriers and focus on projects with quick returns, such as the creation of joint digital platforms for trade and the development of settlement systems in national currencies.
“The EAEU can play a special role as a linking element between European and Asian partners, while the AU opens access to African markets and resources. ASEAN, balancing between major powers, is capable of becoming a platform for dialogue between regional groups,” Anatoly Otyrba concludes.
Analysts also expect the emergence of joint pilot projects of Global South groupings in the energy sector, as well as memoranda of understanding and cooperation.
The article was prepared by Svetlana Khristoforova. African Times published this article in partnership with International Media Network TV BRICS
