Summary:

• Uganda will join BRICS as a Partner State in the first quarter of 2025, becoming the first East African Community (EAC) member to do so. This move expands BRICS’ influence in East Africa, with Uganda joining countries like Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

Uganda has officially become a Partner State of the BRICS group, a move set to take effect in the first quarter of 2025. This makes Uganda the first member of the East African Community (EAC) to join the influential group of emerging economies. Whether other EAC members will follow Uganda’s lead remains to be seen.

BRICS, originally consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, serves as a platform for cooperation among the world’s leading emerging economies. Uganda’s membership will expand BRICS’ reach into the EAC region, where it joins as both a member and a founding country.

The EAC, modeled after the European Union, comprises eight countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, DR Congo, Rwanda, Somalia, and South Sudan. BRICS, on the other hand, represents a coalition of countries that stand in contrast to Western economic policies, focusing on mutual benefit, equality, and non-interference.

The BRICS group began in 2009 as BRIC with five founding members and has since expanded. In 2010, South Africa became the first African state to join. Recently, countries like Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates have also joined, with Uganda set to follow in 2025, bringing BRICS’ membership to ten countries.

The group’s initiatives, including the New Development Bank, BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement, and BRICS Pay, offer alternatives to Western-led financial institutions, signaling a shift in global economic dynamics. The evolving BRICS identity, known as BRICS+, leaves room for more countries to join, highlighting its growing global influence.