Elias Monage, Chairman of the South African side of the Russia-South Africa Business Council, has called for the involvement of Russia, India and China in the large-scale renewal of Africa’s infrastructure.
Monage, who is also President of the Black Business Council, made the call on Friday during a TV BRICS programme monitored by NAN.
He said South Africa’s immediate priorities included improving logistics and developing a transport hub to facilitate the movement of goods across the continent.
According to him, South Africa’s strategic location in the southern part of the continent, combined with its developed infrastructure, positioned the country to facilitate the movement of goods to other African markets.
Monage identified several challenges facing BRICS countries, including limited direct air connections within the bloc and the absence of unified platforms for standardisation and regulatory frameworks.
He also cited the lack of a common currency, shared tariff system and harmonised trade protocols.
“To trade different goods between countries, a common tariff classification system is needed,” he said.
Monage said BRICS countries should tackle the challenges through complementarity, coordinated action and cooperation rather than competition.
He said the young populations of BRICS countries represented an important advantage, while education, professional training and skills transfer remained key priorities.
“We had a number of discussions, and we have shared lots of ideas with our counterparts on the continent,” he said.
Monage cited Mozambique, where a South African-Russian delegation had visited to explore the establishment of a truck assembly plant.
He said South Africa was also reviewing its regulatory framework to facilitate the importation of Russian poultry meat and its subsequent distribution to other African markets.
According to him, discussions were also ongoing on establishing an assembly plant in partnership with a Russian vehicle manufacturer and a South African state-owned enterprise.
He said the proposed facility would assemble trucks and components based on Russian chassis for supply to neighbouring countries.
Monage said humanitarian cooperation between South Africa and Russia was also growing.
He noted that Russian People’s Artist Igor Butman had visited South Africa for two consecutive years to perform at an international jazz festival, while South Africa had also sent artists to Sochi.
He said cooperation was also expanding in education, including through an increase in the number of South African students studying in Russia.
Monage said South Africa currently served as a connecting link by involving regional countries in trade with Russia and building long-term partnerships in business, investment and humanitarian affairs.
Edited by Halima Sheji
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