Can partnerships with BRICS nations, rather than Western countries, offer Africa better technology transfer and fairer deals?

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Can Partnerships with BRICS Nations, Rather than Western Countries, Offer Africa Better Technology Transfer and Fairer Deals?

For decades, Africa’s industrialization has been shaped by its relationship with the West—Europe and North America—through colonial legacies, aid programs, and trade agreements. However, these relationships have often been criticized for perpetuating dependency rather than fostering genuine development. With the rise of the BRICS nations—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—African countries now face a new set of opportunities and challenges. The central question is whether partnerships with BRICS members can provide better technology transfer, fairer economic deals, and more balanced development pathways compared to Africa’s traditional Western partners.

The Problem with Traditional Western Partnerships

Historically, Africa’s engagement with Western nations has often followed a neo-colonial pattern:

  1. Resource extraction: Africa exports raw materials like oil, minerals, and agricultural goods to Western markets.

  2. Import dependency: In return, it imports high-value finished goods, machinery, and technology.

  3. Limited technology transfer: Western firms often invest in Africa only for resource access, with little local capacity building.

  4. Aid conditionalities: Loans and grants from the World Bank, IMF, and Western donors frequently come with political or economic conditions, limiting African policy autonomy.

While Western nations have contributed capital and infrastructure, the deals have not always empowered African countries to climb the technological ladder. As a result, Africa remains at the lower end of the global value chain.

The Rise of BRICS and Africa’s Attraction

The BRICS nations, representing over 40% of the world’s population and a growing share of global GDP, present themselves as an alternative development partner for Africa. Several reasons make them attractive:

  1. South-South cooperation narrative: BRICS promotes solidarity among developing economies rather than a paternalistic donor-recipient model.

  2. Infrastructure investments: China, in particular, has financed and built major African infrastructure projects, from railways to ports.

  3. Industrial partnerships: India and Brazil have engaged in pharmaceutical and agricultural technology projects in Africa.

  4. Financial independence: The BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) offers loans without the political strings often attached by Western institutions.

  5. Shared development trajectory: BRICS nations—except Russia—were once developing countries themselves and understand the challenges of industrial catch-up.

Technology Transfer: BRICS vs. Western Approaches

Western Model

  • Focus: Control of intellectual property.

  • Approach: Western companies generally prefer Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) where they retain ownership of technology. Even when operating in Africa, they guard core technologies and employ imported expertise.

  • Result: African workers gain jobs but not skills to replicate or innovate.

BRICS Model

  • China: Has set up industrial parks, special economic zones, and training centers in Africa. Many deals include the training of African engineers and technicians. Some African firms have learned to replicate Chinese low-cost manufacturing methods.

  • India: Known for affordable pharmaceuticals and IT services, India has transferred knowledge to African nations in healthcare and digital solutions.

  • Brazil: Focuses on agriculture. Its partnerships in Mozambique and other countries have included seed technology, farming techniques, and biofuel expertise.

  • Russia: Primarily engaged in energy and military technology, though less focused on broad industrial skills transfer.

  • South Africa: As part of BRICS and Africa, it serves as a bridge, offering engineering, mining, and financial expertise to neighbors.

Overall, BRICS nations tend to share mid-level technologies that are more adaptable for African contexts. They do not impose the same strict intellectual property regimes as Western firms, though this is not always altruistic—BRICS nations also benefit by expanding markets and securing resources.

Fairness of Deals: A Mixed Picture

Why BRICS Deals Look Fairer

  1. No colonial baggage: BRICS nations are not former colonial powers in Africa (except South Africa in a regional sense), so their partnerships are seen as less exploitative.

  2. Fewer political strings: Loans from the BRICS-led NDB are less tied to governance reforms or austerity measures compared to IMF/World Bank loans.

  3. Infrastructure focus: BRICS financing often builds tangible infrastructure—railways, power plants, roads—that directly supports industrialization.

Areas of Concern

  1. Debt risks with China: Some African nations, like Zambia, have faced debt distress partly due to heavy borrowing for Chinese-financed projects.

  2. Resource-for-infrastructure swaps: Deals often involve long-term commodity commitments, raising fears of a new form of dependency.

  3. Limited high-tech transfer: While BRICS may share mid-level technologies, they still guard their most advanced technologies—just like Western firms.

Thus, while BRICS deals may be more flexible, African leaders must negotiate carefully to avoid reproducing dependency in another form.

Case Studies

1. Ethiopia’s Industrialization Drive (China)

China has helped Ethiopia establish industrial parks like Hawassa, which host textile and manufacturing firms. Alongside infrastructure, China trained Ethiopian engineers and managers, creating a foundation for industrial skills. This contrasts with Western aid, which often emphasized governance reforms rather than factory building.

2. Mozambique Agriculture (Brazil)

Through initiatives like ProSavana, Brazil sought to transfer its expertise in tropical agriculture to Mozambique. While controversial, the program represented a genuine attempt to apply Brazilian agricultural technology in African contexts—something rarely seen in Western programs.

3. Kenya’s Digital Revolution (India)

India has partnered with Kenya and other African states to boost digital infrastructure and e-health initiatives. Knowledge exchange in IT and mobile banking (e.g., M-Pesa collaborations) illustrates how BRICS can offer practical, affordable technologies suited to African needs.

What Africa Must Do to Maximize BRICS Partnerships

  1. Negotiate from strength: African countries should leverage AfCFTA to negotiate as a bloc, ensuring BRICS deals cover technology transfer clauses and local job creation.

  2. Insist on local content: Require BRICS firms to source materials and labor locally, ensuring skills are transferred.

  3. Balance partnerships: Do not replace Western dependency with BRICS dependency. Diversify partners and extract maximum benefit from both.

  4. Invest in education and skills: Without skilled African workers and engineers, even the best technology transfer will fail to take root.

  5. Transparency and accountability: African governments must disclose terms of BRICS deals to prevent corruption and ensure long-term sustainability.

BRICS partnerships offer Africa an important opportunity to break away from the one-sided dependency that has characterized its relations with Western countries. Compared to the West, BRICS nations are often more willing to share adaptable technologies, invest in infrastructure, and provide financing without heavy political conditions. However, they are not purely altruistic. They too seek markets, resources, and influence.

For Africa, the real question is not BRICS vs. the West, but how to use both partnerships strategically. By negotiating collectively under frameworks like the AU and AfCFTA, Africa can secure fairer deals, demand technology transfer, and ensure that industrial partnerships truly build local capacity. If handled wisely, collaboration with BRICS could accelerate Africa’s journey from raw material exporter to industrial power—something Western partnerships have historically failed to deliver.

"BRICS can offer better opportunities, but only if Africa itself sets the terms of engagement".

By Jo Ikeji-Uju

https://ubuntusafa.com

https://ubuntusafa.com/Ikeji

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