Nigerian businesses need better strategies to survive in South Africa
Inability to cope with the sophisticated nature of the South African economy, stringent regulatory frameworks and rigid labour laws are listed as probable reasons many Nigerian companies, which attempted to open in the former apartheid country could not survive. Speaking with Nigerian journalists, SAIIA’s Head of African Governance and Diplomacy Programme Steven Gruzd said that […]
G20 summit: How India put the Global South in the spotlight
World leaders flocked to Delhi to participate in the G20 summit set for 9–10 September 2023, as a culmination of India’s year-long presidency of the Group of 20 leading nations. India has spent the past year marketing itself as a bridge between the Global North and the Global South. In this interview with the Christian […]
Prigozhin death will disrupt Wagner Group activities in Africa
While it might be too early to assess the effects of the deaths of Yevgeny Prigozhin and other leaders on the Wagner Group’s operations in Africa, some analysts say there will be short-term disruptions. In this interview with the Voice of America, Steven Gruzd, SAIIA’s African Governance and Diplomacy Programme Head says, ‘There’s going to […]
BRICS bloc adds six new members
The BRICS group of emerging economies has admitted six new members, its leaders announced on the final day of the bloc’s 2023 Summit held in Johannesburg. Argentina, Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were announced as the new members added to the bloc starting from January 2024. In this interview with […]
BRICS countries continue to retain their independence
Some political analysts have assessed that the BRICS nations may adopt a more obvious anti-Western stance, but South Africa, India, and Brazil have all expressed that they hope to maintain close relations with traditional Western partners. In this interview with World Journal, SAIIA’s Senior Researcher Gustavo De Carvalho says member countries ‘continue to retain their independence, […]
The BRICS expansion expected to be high on the summit agenda
Leaders from five developing nations, accounting for nearly half the world’s population, gathered in Johannesburg for the 15th BRICS Summit, with the expansion of the emerging market grouping, the war in Ukraine and relations with the West all high on the agenda. In an interview with CNBC, SAIIA’s Senior Researcher Gustavo De Carvalho said final decisions […]
Can BRICS create a new world order?
More than 40 countries have expressed interest in joining the five-nation BRICS group. But to challenge the US-led global hierarchy, the BRICS first need to overcome internal fissures. In this interview with Al Jazeera, SAIIA’s Senior Researcher Gustavo De Carvalho says ‘the de-dollarisation initiatives of the BRICS, as a group, are not aimed at replacing […]
BRICS expansion hopefuls seek to rebalance world order
An expansion of the BRICS bloc under consideration at the 2023 summit has attracted diverse potential candidates with one thing in common: a desire to level a global playing field many consider rigged against them. In this interview with Reuters, SAIIA’s Head of the African Governance and Diplomacy Programme Steven Gruzd says ‘they may have over-inflated […]
The BRICS club of emerging nations debates letting others in
South Africa, the last country to join the BRICS bloc, in 2010 on China’s invitation, will have to walk a fine diplomatic line with its allies in the West. In the coming months, South Africa will turn its attention to its second-largest trading partner after China, the United States, hosting a meeting about a continental […]
SA army might be missed in DRC regional force
The struggling South African army will be hard-pressed to make a meaningful contribution to a planned new regional force that is supposed to bring about peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). SADC wants the new force to be deployed by the end of September, but there is still no clarity on the […]