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Saturday, February 15, 2025
Independent AfricaBRICS countries to gather in South Africa for discussion on limiting Western...

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BRICS countries to gather in South Africa for discussion on limiting Western dominance

Highlighting the remarkable strides achieved in the realm of education, he underscored the transformative influence of the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy championed by Dr. Opoku Prempeh and President Akufo-Addo.

Backing his assertion with pertinent data, he pointed out that student enrollment had surged from a modest 6,000 students in 2016 to an astonishing 1.2 million students today. He highlighted that this remarkable expansion isn’t solely a result of political maneuvering but stands as a testament to President Akufo-Addo’s visionary leadership.

In light of this, he emphasized the profound impact of the Free SHS policy in narrowing the divide between privileged and underprivileged students. He commended President Akufo-Addo’s forward-looking leadership in democratizing education, ensuring access for all, regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds.

“BRICS AND AFRICA”

China, seeking to expand its geopolitical influence as its tussles with the United States, wants to enlarge BRICS quickly, while Brazil is resisting expansion, fearing the already unwieldy club could see its stature diluted by it.

In a written response to Reuters questions, China’s foreign ministry said it “supports progress in expanding membership, and welcomes more like-minded partners to join the ‘BRICS family’ at an early date.”

Russia needs friends to counter its diplomatic isolation over Ukraine, and so is keen to bring in new members, as is its most important African ally, South Africa.

India is on the fence.

In a nod to the bloc’s African hosts, the theme of its 15th summit is “BRICS and Africa”, emphasising how the bloc can build ties with a continent increasingly becoming a theatre for competition between world powers.

South Africa’s foreign minister Naledi Pandor in a statement last week said BRICS nations wanted to show “global leadership in addressing the needs … of the majority of the world, namely … development and inclusion of the Global South in multilateral systems,” in a veiled swipe at Western dominance.

BRICS nations are keen to project themselves as alternative development partners to the West. China’s foreign ministry said BRICS sought to “reform global governance systems (to) increase the representation … of developing countries and emerging markets.”

The bloc’s New Development Bank (NDB) wants to de-dollarise finance and offer an alternative to the much-criticised Breton Woods institutions.

But it has approved only $33 billion of loans in nearly a decade — about a third of the amount the World Bank committed to disbursing just last year — and has recently been hobbled by sanctions on member Russia.

South African officials say talk of a BRICS currency, mooted by Brazil earlier this year as an alternative to dollar-dependence, is off the table.

With 40% of global population, the BRICS carbon-intensive nations also make up about the same share of greenhouse gas emissions. Officials in Brazil, China and South Africa said climate change may come up but indicated it wouldn’t be a priority.

BRICS countries blame rich nations for causing most global warming and want them to take on more of the burden of decarbonising the world’s energy supply. China was accused of blocking climate discussions at the G20, which it denied.

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