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This week, we look at what happened at the BRICS summit. Also, marred elections in Zimbabwe and Gabon, the opposition gets organised in South Africa, healthcare workers strike in Mozambique, and more.

Top news

Alphabet soup: Leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa agreed to add six countries to the BRICS. Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates will join in January. Besides creating a potentially tongue-tying acronym (BRICSAEEISU anyone?), the expansion will enhance the global might of the geographically diverse group. With its new members, the BRICS+ will account for 46% of the world’s population and 29% of global GDP. A not-so-subtle goal of the group, particularly China and Russia, is to counter Western dominance in global affairs. On that note, in his pre-recorded address (since he didn’t travel to the summit to avoid arrest under international law), Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Western powers for his country’s invasion of Ukraine. 🤔

Uh oh: In a sign of the challenging dynamics inherent in the BRICS, Prime Minister Modi reportedly refused to depart his aircraft upon landing in South Africa after the South African government sent a cabinet minister to welcome him. In contrast, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa personally met Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plane. After breaking the news on its website, the South Africa media outlet the Daily Maverick experienced a massive distributed denial of service attack originating from India, effectively preventing Indian citizens from accessing the story.

Counting unhatched chickens: While South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration spent last week preparing to host the BRICS summit, many of the country’s opposition parties were busy preparing for its potential demise. Seven opposition parties, including the largest, Democratic Alliance, signed a pre-election power-sharing agreement in hopes that the ruling African National Congress party loses the 2024 elections. The agreement stipulates allocating government positions based on vote proportions and merit (in contrast to the ANC’s commonly practised cadre deployment). It also forbids parties from aligning with the ANC or the second-largest opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters. Time will tell whether mounting frustration with the ANC over corruption and a faltering economy will translate into the historical loss opposition parties are counting on.

Election tension: Zimbabwe’s long-awaited general election on Wednesday did not go smoothly. Hundreds of thousands of citizens had not voted when the polls closed on election day due to the electoral commission failing to provide voting materials to many parts of the country. As a result, voting was extended into Thursday in three of the country’s 10 provinces. The election was marred by allegations of foul play on the part of the ruling ZANU-PF party, including the spread of disinformation, abuse of the electoral commission, and the barring of independent observers. The celebrations of the eventual winner will be quickly tempered by the country’s economic reality: the country’s inflation rate was 101% in July and it faces a mounting debt burden.

Staying power: Opposition parties in Gabon are accusing the ruling party of meddling ahead of Saturday’s general election. The country’s electoral commission announced that votes for local deputies would count as a vote for that deputy’s presidential candidate. That likely favours the incumbent, President Ali Bongo Ondimba. Apparently, letting voters choose their president via free and fair elections isn’t how one family stays in power for 56 years.

Reform vs. reality: In response to soaring inflation, Nigeria's government reversed course and froze petrol prices. Although beneficial for the long-term economic health of the country, Tinubu’s decisions earlier this year to end the country’s fuel subsidy and reform its currency exchange system have eroded the finances (and patience) of citizens. Tinubu can take some solace in knowing he is not alone in having his ambitions tempered: Kenya’s government also temporarily reinstated its fuel subsidy after citizen outcries. Meanwhile, Tinubu picked Atiku Bagudu – who stands accused of helping former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha steal up to US$5 billion – to be his... budget minister. 🤯

Healthy anger: Nurses and pharmacists have joined a month-long doctor’s strike, paralysing the healthcare system in Mozambique. In Maputo, only the maternity services at the main hospitals remain in operation. Striking workers are angry over inadequate public investment in the national health system, which has resulted in insufficient staff, medicines, and equipment. Salary cuts and a domestic borrowing limit tied to the country’s US$456 million IMF funding program haven’t helped matters. If only there were a (low-cost!) way for the MDBs to provide additional support to vulnerable countries... (*waves frantically*) like this plan.

A dose of transparency: Civil society organisations in South Africa scored an important win for transparency in public health expenditure. A court ordered the government to make all its COVID-19 vaccine contracts public within 10 days. South African civil society has championed the ruling as crucial not only for enabling accountability domestically, but also for setting a needed global precedent that could boost transparency and accountability provisions in global pandemic treaty negotiations.

Which way home: It’s been a tough week + month + year + decade for Africans fleeing difficult circumstances in search of better lives. Last week, more than 60 migrants died off the coast of West Africa whilst attempting to reach Europe by boat. This week began with allegations that Saudi border forces have been killing Ethiopians attempting to enter the country from Yemen. More than 29,000 people died trying to migrate to Europe between 2014 and 2022. Another 2,000 people have died this year. British-Somali poet Warsan Shire once wrote that, "no one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark." Poverty, unemployment, insecurity, climate change, and inequality – these are the sharks that African and world leaders need to keep at bay, not desperate people.

From the ONE Team

• David McNair looks at the internal dynamics of the BRICS and how they could (re)shape global power.
• On the two year anniversary of the historic US$650 billion allocation of special drawing rights, Sara Harcourt assesses what has happened since.

The numbers

• One in three of the world’s population is malnourished. Maybe it’s time we did something about the “elephant in the room.”
• 46% of the world’s population lives in BRICS+ countries.
• 70 million people were pushed into extreme poverty by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quote of the week

"[We need] a fundamental reform of the institutions of global governance so that they may be more representative and better able to respond to the challenges that confront humanity."

–South African President Cyril Ramaphosa

Hero and zero of the week:

HERO: Debt Justice and partner organisations that highlighted that lower-income countries are effectively being “trapped” into relying on fossil fuels to pay their debts.

ZERO: Diezani Alison-Madueke, a former Nigerian petroleum minister, who was charged for bribery in the UK. She has been the subject of several corruption investigations relating to her time in public office.

What you should read, watch, and listen to:

• Why central banks might not want to recycle SDRs and why they are wrong. (CGD)
• Nigeria’s coastal communities take matters of climate-resilient buildings into their own hands. (African Arguments)
• Economist Carlos Lopes lays out the challenges and opportunities of sustainable industrialisation for African countries. (African Arguments)
• Climate change is coming for your morning cup of coffee. (Financial Times)
• Is the global health architecture changing? (Devex)
• Moroccans welcome back their prodigal monarch but side-eye his new friends. (Financial Times)

A look ahead

25 August: Heads of State for Brazil, Indonesia, and the DRC meet for the G3 Climate Summit on preserving tropical forests in Kinshasa, DRC.

26 August: Gabon holds its national elections.

28 August - 1 September: African Health Ministers meet for the World Health Organization Regional Committee for Africa in Gaborone, Botswana.

1-3 September: The 11th Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-XI) on “Driving Green Growth and Climate Finance Solutions for Africa and the World” in Nairobi, Kenya.

The ONE Campaign’s data.one.org provides cutting edge data and analysis on the economic, political, and social changes impacting Africa. Check it out HERE.

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