BRICS as a Tool to Strengthen Uganda’s Regional Agency – JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTE FOR AFRICAN STUDIES

Author:

Barinov A.A.¹, Mugabi B.²

Affiliation:

1. Centre for African Strategy in BRICS, Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russian Federation
2. Member, Uganda Council on Foreign Relations; Commercial Attaché, Embassy of Uganda in Moscow

Abstract:

This article examines changes in Uganda’s foreign policy over the past decade and the place of BRICS in the country’s current foreign policy. The article aims to identify the rationale behind the country’s foreign policy behavior, the reasons for its growing interest in BRICS, and the economic and security priorities that the country intends to address through integration into this group. The authors consider that the cooling of Uganda’s relations with Western partners and the expansion of cooperation with non-Western states have increased the importance of BRICS for Kampala as a platform for foreign policy diversification and strengthening regional security. Particular attention is paid to the combination of traditional foreign policy guidelines with Uganda’s new areas of international activity. Uganda’s instruments of participation in BRICS are presented separately, identifying the institutions responsible for BRICS policy and significant events within the association with Ugandan participation. A key part of the article is the presentation of initiatives promoted by Uganda within BRICS, including proposals to create added value on the African continent and secure Uganda’s status as a “regional security hub,” and an analysis of these initiatives within the context of the country’s foreign policy priorities. The study’s novelty lies in its examination of BRICS’s significance for Uganda from a combination of political, economic, and security perspectives, as well as its interpretation of the country’s participation in BRICS as a state strategy for strengthening regional agency.

Keywords:

Uganda, foreign policy, BRICS, regional security, added value, multipolar world, economic diplomacy, East Africa, regional leadership

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Revised:
Accepted:

For citation:

Barinov A.A., Mugabi B. (2026). BRICS As a Tool to Strengthen Uganda’s Regional Agency. Journal of the Institute for African Studies. Vol. 12. № 2. Pp. 59–75. https://doi.org/10.31132/2412-5717-2026-75-2-59-75

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