This group of countries through solid support from all sides have successfully held over 90 meetings and events so far in 2022, covering diverse issues such as politics, security, economic, trade, financial, people-to-people and cultural fields as well as sustainable development and public health.
The highlight of the BRICS in 2022 was the 14th BRICS Summit and the High-Level Dialogue on Global Development that was held from June 23-24. There are some important issues that were raised by the President of People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping during the summit that a developing country like Botswana can learn and intensify its relationship with the mechanism so as to maximise some socio-economic benefits especially in the volatile global economy that has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In his remarks during the High-Level Dialogue on Global Development themed Forging High-Quality Partnership for New Era of Global Development, President Xi pointed out that “over the years, developing countries have worked unremittingly to explore development path that is suited for their national realities and to pursue economic and social development and that such efforts have produced remarkable outcomes, today emerging markets and developing countries account for half of the world economy and notable progress has been made in education, social development, culture and many other areas”.
From these remarks, one can point out the importance of inclusivity in world affairs and the need for South-South Cooperation that the Chinese president emphasised as a way of mapping a path to sustainable development. Other highlights of his remarks are centred on the importance of multilateralism as opposed to unilateral approaches in solving global political challenges as unilateralism gives rise to a Cold War mentality, which is not sustainable in the modern world. He stressed that in order to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, President Xi reasons that the international community has to put development at the forefront on the international agenda where the international community builds a political consensus to ensure that everyone values development and all countries pursue cooperation. It is very important to note that President Xi has a strong believe that it is through inclusive cooperation in the international community where states work together using mechanisms such as the BRICS to push a much needed developmental agenda that can go a long way in having socio-economic benefits to the global community especially during the challenging era of the COVID-19 pandemic.
What has been highlighted by President Xi should be a very important lesson to a developing country such as Botswana on how it can strategically place itself in a very good position to cooperate with the BRICS mechanism and gain some socio-economic benefits. This is against the background that during the 2022 BRICS Summit, there was an extension of invitation to a selected number of countries through their foreign ministers, which included some African countries such as Nigeria and Senegal. The invitation of fellow African countries to the summit should be a lesson to Botswana that the BRICS is not a mechanism of five but a representation of emerging market and developing countries where Botswana could really benefit.
It is therefore very important for foreign policy strategists in Botswana to strategically engage with members of the diplomatic corps from the BRICS countries that are based in Botswana to exploit some channels in which Botswana will work closely with the BRICS mechanism on different areas such as health, trade, agriculture, e-commerce and others. The onus lies on Botswana to work hard to convince the BRICS mechanism that it is an important player worth cooperating within the framework of the BRICS. Botswana should be encouraged by the joint statement released by foreign ministers at the BRICS Summit, which shows that they supported the promotion of discussions among the BRICS members on including the developing countries in cooperation when it comes to sustainable development. This should be welcome news to Botswana who should then start constructive engagement with the BRICS members especially China so that the country can work together with the mechanism on the development agenda that President Xi highlighted at the BRICS Summit.
Furthermore, the 2022 BRICS Summit Declaration touched on a very important point that is worth exploiting further by Botswana. The declaration states that: ‘We reiterate our commitment to multilateralism through upholding international law, including the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations as its indispensable cornerstone, and to the central role of the United Nations in an international system in which sovereign states cooperate to maintain peace and security, advance sustainable development, ensure the promotion and protection of democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, and promoting cooperation based on the spirit of mutual respect, justice and equality’. The declaration further states that it is important for member countries to use innovative and inclusive solutions, including digital and technological tools to promote sustainable development and facilitate affordable and equitable access to global public goods for all. On many occasions the president of Botswana, Mokgweetsi Masisi, has talked about the need for Botswana to embrace the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Knowledge Based Economy), which has a huge potential to transform the country’s economy and create employment and wealth creation opportunities for the ordinary citizens. As all BRICS members, especially China are well advanced in terms of the digital technology, it is very important for Botswana to take advantage of the Summit Declaration and work on how best she can cooperate with the mechanism to develop her technology for sustainable development. This will further add to other opportunities that have been availed by China to African countries through the Global Development Initiative and Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Botswana as a developing country must fully understand and appreciate the importance of using or engaging with mechanisms such as the BRICS as a way of harnessing the benefits of South-South Cooperation. Botswana must appreciate that together with political dialogue, trade, financial and other forms of cooperation, South-South Cooperation promotes a large number of knowledge and expertise exchanges through programmes, projects and initiatives that have helped solve specific problems in the countries of the Global South.
It is vital for Botswana to acknowledge that South-South development cooperation has been extensively promoted and applied by the fast growing economies of BRICS, which are now forming a leading position and thus representing a pivotal new model of cooperation between countries from the Global South. It is therefore against this background that in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has taken a toll on Botswana’s national economy, mechanisms such as the BRICS offer a window of opportunity for the country to engage on ways of cooperation with BRICS countries as one way of making some economic recovery through sustainable development processes.
As a parting shot, it is very advisable for the government of Botswana to work around the clock to strategically place herself at the forefront of cooperating with the BRICS mechanism in terms of trade, education, sustainable development, health, agriculture, digital technology and others as this kind of cooperation has huge socio-economic benefits in the long-term.
