India, Africa and the Expanded BRICS: A strategic opportunity for New Delhi
By Utkarsh Garg
For years, Africa was often discussed as a region India wanted to deepen its engagement with. At BRICS 2026, however, Africa was increasingly part of the conversation about how the Global South itself should cooperate with South Africa, Egypt and Ethiopia inside BRICS and Nigeria and Uganda participating as partner countries, Africa’s presence in the grouping has expanded significantly. India’s 2026 presidency has provided New Delhi with an opportunity to connect this changing BRICS landscape with its longstanding development partnership with Africa. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meetings with African leaders during the New Delhi Summit-covering trade, technology, healthcare, agriculture, investment and capacity building underscore the growing breadth of this engagement. The larger question is whether BRICS can move this relationship from diplomatic representation towards a more practical architectural of South-South cooperation.
India’s Push for Africa on its BRICS Presidency
India’s Diplomatic thrust in Africa thus comes at a perfect moment, as the world politics changes and Africa are on the rise. The continent has become the edge in terms of growth with becoming economics, youth workforce of more than 1.4 billion people by 2050, and increasing influence in terms of the UN votes and trade blocs. Developing nations everywhere want larger roles and Africa is home to 54 countries including South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, Nigeria and Burundi holding chairmanship of the African Union-has the key votes and markets.
BRICS grew in 2024, with the addition of African giants Egypt as full members and such partners such as Nigeria, Uganda and Burundi strengthening their group voice to nine nations. India assumed BRICS presidency on January 1, 2026, India hosted the BRICS summit on September 12-13 2026 under the theme, Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability. This allowed New Delhi to place the trust, energy deals, and sharing of technology before the debates on fair global rules. PM Modi’s 2025 visits to Ethiopia and South Africa sparked $103 billion trade highs, avoiding debt-traps that share others.
Africa’s Agenda for BRICS 2026
For most of the African countries, BRICS has primarily been an economic platform organisation like the New Development Bank (NDB) offers access to the development finance, cooperation on critical minerals creating opportunities for investment and value addition, discussing payments and financial architecture promising alternatives to the existing systems. For instance, the proposed BRICS Geological Platform is crucial for countries with cobalt, lithium, manganese, and race earth resources.
India’s Plan for African Priorities Central to BRICS presidency
As New Delhi hosted the BRICS 2026 Summit with the theme of Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability it placed Africa at the centre of its strategy. This event helped amplifying the voices of Africa on issues related to development to climate change and transfer of technology to the global governance reforms, this was achieved through members such as Egypt and Ethiopia, as well as partners like Nigeria and Uganda.
India’s summit priorities and ambitious outreach. Outlined key areas like a high-profile India-Africa summit rumours of October 50+ African nations partner trade doubling to $200 Billion by 2030.
India has started finding convergences between African priorities and BRICS economic instruments. The NDB financing more on African infrastructure projects, industrialisation and connectivity projects. BRICS cooperation on critical minerals is moving beyond extraction towards refining, manufacturing and processing in the Economies of African nations. Digital payments to be developed interoperability in such a way to facilitate African intra-regional commerce and India-Africa trade.
Such approach would help New Delhi’s broader strategy for Africa by increasingly presenting itself not just as an external power, seeking resources of Africa, but as a strategic partner in the development of Africa, capacity building and technology transfer. The BRICS provides another institutional channel for its proposition.
The Crisis in Iran has made this strategy more palpable. Many African economies depend on Gulf investments, remittances and energy supplies. India is offering as an alternative. Instead of asking the African partners to choose between geopolitical camps, New Delhi has used its BRICS to emphasise issues that calls for direct involvement from African countries such as financing from NDB, Cooperation, in critical-minerals, agriculture technology, healthcare, digital public infrastructure and inter-payment connectivity. African priorities have been highlighted not just during technical sessions but also in BRICS’s political narrative
India, African Union Aur BRICS Ki Jodi
On the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Mr. Evariste Ndayishimiye, the President of the Republic of Burundi and currently the chairperson of the African Union. The two leaders recalled New Delhi’s role in bringing African Union into G20 during India’s presidency in 2023, stressing upon the India-African Union partnership as a key pillar of cooperation within the Global South with discussion on early convening of 4th India-Africa Forum Summit at a mutually convenient date.
Prime Minister Modi commanded AU leadership for successfully handling the Ebola outbreak. The Chairperson of AU and Burundi president appreciated the medical support from India to Africa helping mitigate the outbreak. Along with that discussing India-Burundi ties in areas of economy, development, agriculture, healthcare and capacity building.
The Way Forward
India used its chairmanship to pave the way by turning bloc’s initiatives into real development gains for Africa. Instead of avoiding geopolitics, India ensures that the political agenda of the BRICS does not overshadow the group’s development priorities. India’s strategic outreach towards Africa making it a central leader in the process of changing global governance through BRICS 2026.
By extending diplomatic footprints, investing in development aid in major high-impact areas such as renewable and digital tech creating $103 billion trade corridors. India is creating resilient partnership unhindered by exploitative debt models.
The Outcome of India’s presidency in BRICS 2026 summit was shaped by the crisis in West Asia. This approach not just amplifies the voice of the Global South in this changing power game but also pushes the Summit’s theme of resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability to new, tangible and inclusive growth.
The question is, therefore, that whether India is bringing more African countries into the table of BRICS, but whether New Delhi not just representing Africa in an expanding multilateral forum, helping African countries shaping grouping priorities and influencing debates on global economic governance.
As BRICS develops, with African strongmen at the table, India’s proactive steps are a guarantee of mutual prosperity, fairer global rules and more robust multipolar world order.
About the Author
Utkarsh Garg is an International Relations researcher focusing on Indian foreign policy, maritime diplomacy, the Indo-Pacific and Southeast Asia. His research interests include India’s engagement with the Indian Ocean region, Indo-Pacific and Southeast Asia and development partnerships. He has researched India–Seychelles relations and presented his work on digital cooperation at the High Commission of the Republic of Seychelles in India.
References
S. Manju, “India’s Diplomatic Push in Africa Ahead of BRICS 2026”, Diplomatist, 24 February 2026 (Accessed on 14 September 2026)
Medhi Shrestha and Bhattacharya Samir, “Can India Help Amplify Africa’s Voice Within BRICS?”, ORF, September 10, 2026 (accessed on September 15, 2026)
“PM Meets the Chairperson of the African Union and President of Republic of Burundi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi”, PMIndia, 13 September 2026 (Accessed on 16 September 2026)
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