Namibia urged to follow BRICS closely
International relations expert Dr Marius Kudumo said Namibia must not take its eyes off the new developments and opportunities that the BRICS grouping might have to offer.
He said Namibia must conduct various assessments and cost-benefit analyses to determine whether it should apply to join BRICS or not.
Kudumo made these remarks while appearing on the Evening Review show last week, adding that Namibia and South Africa’s close diplomatic and trade ties are reason enough "to follow BRICS closely".
Know the benefits
BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) held its summit under the theme 'BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development, and Inclusive Multilateralism'. According to reports, after the United Nations (UN) and the Non-Aligned Movement, Brics is among the largest blocks of countries according to its total population of close to 3.2 billion people.
"In terms of trade, Namibia should follow closely. So if Namibia decides to join the bloc of countries, for example, it should be informed by what the benefits are that we are supposed to derive from belonging to this bloc, but it's not something that you just jump into quickly. You need to do your assessment. You need to do your calculations in terms of cost-benefit analysis – what are the benefits?" Kudumo advised.
The summit focused on opportunities that would further generate economic growth on the African continent, especially through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement and infrastructure.
Kudumo added that “when you look at what is happening in the world in the geopolitical system, because the current geopolitical system is more about hegemonic dominance by certain countries. BRICS, just by virtue of the numbers, the population, as well as the contribution of that group to the global economy, makes it effective.”
African Union criticism
Kudumo also called on the African Union to do more on multilateral platforms in order to champion the needs of the continent.
"The African Union has not been playing the role that it is supposed to play. One of the items on Agenda 2063 of the African Union is for Africa to speak with one voice in the international arena. Because you must also remember that, just by number, the African Union or Africa is a big number in any multilateral organisation, but that number was not used effectively," he argued.
"Africa failed to take a collective position on many of the global issues. We have seen that whenever they vote, they don't vote as a bloc."
He questioned whether the ideas raised by Namibia in an international arena would be ideas that the rest of the world could listen to.
"How this country has become independent, the negotiated process, the drafting of the Constitution... there are many things that the rest of the world can learn from Namibia," he said.
"There's a lot of respect for Namibia as a voice in the international arena. And therefore, there is a case to be made that may contribute to global affairs," he said.
He said Namibia must conduct various assessments and cost-benefit analyses to determine whether it should apply to join BRICS or not.
Kudumo made these remarks while appearing on the Evening Review show last week, adding that Namibia and South Africa’s close diplomatic and trade ties are reason enough "to follow BRICS closely".
Know the benefits
BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) held its summit under the theme 'BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development, and Inclusive Multilateralism'. According to reports, after the United Nations (UN) and the Non-Aligned Movement, Brics is among the largest blocks of countries according to its total population of close to 3.2 billion people.
"In terms of trade, Namibia should follow closely. So if Namibia decides to join the bloc of countries, for example, it should be informed by what the benefits are that we are supposed to derive from belonging to this bloc, but it's not something that you just jump into quickly. You need to do your assessment. You need to do your calculations in terms of cost-benefit analysis – what are the benefits?" Kudumo advised.
The summit focused on opportunities that would further generate economic growth on the African continent, especially through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement and infrastructure.
Kudumo added that “when you look at what is happening in the world in the geopolitical system, because the current geopolitical system is more about hegemonic dominance by certain countries. BRICS, just by virtue of the numbers, the population, as well as the contribution of that group to the global economy, makes it effective.”
African Union criticism
Kudumo also called on the African Union to do more on multilateral platforms in order to champion the needs of the continent.
"The African Union has not been playing the role that it is supposed to play. One of the items on Agenda 2063 of the African Union is for Africa to speak with one voice in the international arena. Because you must also remember that, just by number, the African Union or Africa is a big number in any multilateral organisation, but that number was not used effectively," he argued.
"Africa failed to take a collective position on many of the global issues. We have seen that whenever they vote, they don't vote as a bloc."
He questioned whether the ideas raised by Namibia in an international arena would be ideas that the rest of the world could listen to.
"How this country has become independent, the negotiated process, the drafting of the Constitution... there are many things that the rest of the world can learn from Namibia," he said.
"There's a lot of respect for Namibia as a voice in the international arena. And therefore, there is a case to be made that may contribute to global affairs," he said.
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