South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered a call for solidarity and reform at the Extraordinary BRICS Leaders Meeting on Sept. 8, warning that the world faces an era of “disruption and chaos” that threatens to derail development in the Global South.
In an address, Ramaphosa said the global economic landscape is undergoing seismic shifts—from unipolarity to multipolarity—characterized by rising geopolitical tensions, trade wars, and a resurgence of protectionism that is exacting a toll on developing economies.
“The uncertainty of the new trading regime has already negatively affected employment levels in my own country, South Africa,” he said. “It is an obstacle to our economic growth.”
Ramaphosa warned that unilateral tariff measures and an increasingly fragmented global trading system were undermining the prospects of emerging markets. He called on BRICS nations to take the lead in shaping a more equitable and resilient global order, rooted in multilateralism and meaningful cooperation.
Ramaphosa asserted, urging reforms to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the broader multilateral system to ensure that developing countries can move beyond the lower rungs of global value chains. “Global trade must work for all of us,” he added.
Highlighting Africa’s strategic importance, Ramaphosa painted a vision of the continent not as a supplier of raw materials, but as a global economic hub for innovation, value creation and regional integration.
“Our vision is of an Africa that is the beating heart of global trade,” he said. (RT.com)