BRICS and Africa’s SMMEs: From Geopolitical Bloc to Commercial Network

By Jacqueléne Coetzer

BRICS is often discussed in grand geopolitical terms – presidents meet, ministers issue communiqués, trade delegations travel and governments announce new areas of cooperation.

For the small and medium-sized enterprise, however, BRICS can still feel remarkably distant.

An African SMME exporting honey, processed foods, diagnostics, cosmetics, garments, components or specialized services may hear constantly about BRICS, yet still wonder: “What does this actually mean for my business?”

The answer begins with understanding what BRICS is – and what it is not.

BRICS is not a single market, a customs union or a free-trade agreement. It is a framework for cooperation between very different economies, each with its own regulations, customs requirements, consumer behaviour, trade barriers, risks and opportunities.

For SMMEs, therefore, the question should not be: “How do I enter BRICS?” It should be: “Which BRICS market is relevant to my business, and how can I use the wider BRICS network to reach it?” That shift in thinking changes everything.

BRICS as a Network of Bridges

The real opportunity lies in recognising that BRICS does not create one bridge. It creates multiple potential bridges between markets, regions, industries and people.

A Russian company looking beyond Brazil’s domestic market can use Brazil as a platform into Latin America while simultaneously developing relationships with other BRICS economies.

A South African, Egyptian, Ethiopian, Nigerian or Ugandan company can look towards BRICS countries, enabling companies from across the continent to use them as bridges intro BRICS, while also acting as bridge for BRICS countries’ companies to enter the continent through the African members and partners. BRICS provides easier access for their companies to the domestic markets of these African countries; while also enabling them to access the economies of the Regional Economic Communities they are part of, such as SADC or IGAD, or ECOWAS; while also providing an easier launch into the rest of the continent from there.

Russia can provide a potential entry point into the wider Eurasian environment, with Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan creating additional regional connections.

China, India and Indonesia sit within an enormous Asian commercial ecosystem, while Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam provide further connections into ASEAN.

The strategic value is therefore not simply that these countries belong to the same grouping. It is that each can potentially become a point of entry into another market, region or supply chain.

A company does not necessarily have to attack every market directly from its home country. It can enter one market strategically, establish credibility, develop partnerships and then use those relationships to expand into adjacent markets.

This is where BRICS becomes particularly interesting for SMMEs.

From Political Alignment to Commercial Opportunity

BRICS does not magically remove bureaucracy, guarantee buyers or eliminate regulatory requirements. It does, however, create an environment in which South-South commercial relationships can be developed more deliberately.

Political alignment can make initial engagement easier. Businesses may encounter greater openness to suppliers and partners from fellow emerging economies, while trade missions, business councils, chambers, embassies and bilateral associations can provide useful introductions and market intelligence.

But introductions are only the beginning. An SMME still has to prove that its product is suitable, compliant, competitively positioned and commercially viable. Registration, standards, certification, labelling and documentation remain essential. The right local partner can be particularly valuable because a capable distributor or commercial representative can help navigate not only market access, but local legislation, regulatory requirements, packaging, segmentation and customer expectations.

The same principle applies to finance. Longer payment cycles, pre-shipment costs, currency exposure and documentary requirements can undermine an otherwise excellent opportunity. Trade finance, appropriate payment structures, export credit insurance and cash-flow planning therefore need to form part of the market-entry strategy from the outset.

The Diaspora: An Underused Commercial Asset

There is another bridge that SMMEs frequently overlook: people.

BRICS countries contain enormous diaspora communities whose cultural familiarity, language skills, networks and purchasing behavior can provide an important first point of entry into an unfamiliar market.

An African company entering Brazil, for example, may find an initial consumer or commercial audience among Africans or other communities with connections to Africa.

An Indian company entering Brazil, Africa or another BRICS market may similarly find opportunities through Indian communities already established there. Chinese businesses operating in Africa can engage established Chinese communities and networks, while African businesses entering China can potentially leverage African communities and existing commercial networks.

The same principle applies across the BRICS ecosystem.

Diaspora communities should not be viewed merely as ethnic consumer markets. They can become early adopters, brand ambassadors, connectors, introducers and sources of market intelligence. They understand the culture of the market in which they live while retaining knowledge, relationships or affinity with their countries and regions of origin.

For an SMME entering an unfamiliar market, that can be enormously valuable. The diaspora can therefore become the first consumer – and potentially the first bridge.

One Market at a Time

The temptation for an SMME looking at BRICS is to think too broadly.

Four billion potential consumers can sound irresistible. But trying to pursue multiple enormous and complex markets simultaneously is more likely to dilute resources than create success.

Depth beats breadth.

Choose one market and choose it strategically. Understand it properly. Establish product-market fit. Complete the necessary compliance. Find the right partner. Build relationships. Learn how the market operates. Then look at where that first successful relationship can take you.

A Brazilian company may use its experience in one BRICS market to approach another emerging market. An African business may establish itself in one country before expanding into neighboring markets. A Chinese, Indian or Indonesian company may use an Asian foothold to develop wider ASEAN relationships.

The first market does not have to be the final market. It can be the springboard.

BRICS Does Not Do the Work for You

This is perhaps the most important reality for SMMEs. BRICS does not replace commercial preparation. It does not remove regulation, customs procedures, product registration, compliance, due diligence, local partnerships or currency risk. Nor does a trade mission, memorandum of understanding or government relationship automatically translate into sales.

Governments and diplomatic missions build the frameworks and relationships that make international commerce possible. Businesses must then do the work required to operate within those frameworks.

Markets do not open because of speeches. They open because businesses are prepared.

Making BRICS Work for SMMEs

BRICS should therefore be viewed neither as a silver bullet nor as an empty political construct. Its value lies in the network.

The opportunity is to identify the right market, the right regional connection, the right commercial partner and, increasingly, the right diaspora network – then use those relationships strategically to move from one market to another.

For SMMEs, the objective is not simply to “export to BRICS”. It is to build a pathway through BRICS

• From Brazil into Latin America.
• From Africa into BRICS – and from BRICS back into Africa.
• From Russia into Eurasia.
• From China, India and Indonesia into Asia and ASEAN.

And across all of these corridors, through the people who already connect these markets to one another.

BRICS provides the framework, but SMMEs must build the commercial bridges.

Those prepared to identify, test and leverage those bridges may find that the real opportunity is not one BRICS market – but the network of markets beyond it.

Jacqueléne Coetzer is a strategic trade and market analyst specialising in African and emerging markets. Her work focuses on structuring cross-border commercial relationships, connecting buyers and sellers, and facilitating trade across key sectors including commodities, diagnostics, and premium agricultural products. Her writing explores the realities behind global trade architecture, BRICS, and African economic development – not from a theoretical lens, but from active market engagement and transaction-level insight.