This symposium, focusing on BRICS in Africa, took place on 3 July 2017, in Johannesburg at the South African BRICS Think Tank (SABTT), which is hosted by the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS).
The symposium was an informative and strategic multi-stakeholder discussion that sought to address the topic of situating the future of BRICS in changing global dynamics with a closer focus on BRICS in Africa in relation to trade and development finance, BRICS soft power dynamics and where South Africa fits into this outlook and how it is able to leverage its position. As BRICS countries, such as China, through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and India, through the India-Africa Summits (IAS) intensify their engagement on the African continent, the symposium looked into the role of the BRICS countries in Africa, especially given the potential of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) and its Africa Regional Centre (ARC) in Johannesburg. This event thus explored how South Africa uses its position within the BRICS to promote its African agenda and the BRICS engagement in Africa.