President Cyril Ramaphosa warned on Wednesday that although a global economic recovery is underway, it is uneven.

Ramaphosa addressed the fourteenth Brics Leaders’ Summit, hosted by China, through a pre-recorded message, in which he said a lack of access to lifesaving vaccines and treatments was holding back the recovery of millions across the world.

He said developing economies continue to face challenges of poverty and inequality, which the Covid-19 pandemic had exacerbated.

“We cannot have a swift and inclusive global economic recovery unless the issue of vaccine inequality is urgently addressed,” Ramaphosa said.

He called on the Brics grouping (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) to support the African Union drive to ensure that vaccines destined for African countries were procured from African manufacturers.

“As Brics nations, we have to do all within our means to mitigate the impact of poverty, food and energy insecurity on our people. We have to advance sustainable and inclusive development that safeguards us against future shocks,” Ramaphosa explained.

Meanwhile, he noted that despite the pandemic, trade and investment cooperation within the Brics has been steadily improving, adding that this needed to be deepened even further if the country was to withstand vulnerabilities in regional and global supply chains.

He gave South Africa’s endorsement of the Brics Initiative on Enhancing Cooperation on Supply Chains.

This initiative affirms that openness, efficiency, stability, transparency, reliability and resilience of national, regional and global supply chains were necessary preconditions for international trade and investment.

He said South Africa was committed to strengthening dialogue, exchange and cooperation in areas such as industrial development, investment, trade in services, and micro, small and medium-sized enterprise development.

“We recognise the dynamism of the digital economy as an enabler of the global economic recovery. There is an urgent need to overcome the digital divides that exist within and between countries,” he said.

He assured that Brics countries would continue constructive engagement with the World Trade Organisation to foster inclusivity, industrialisation and development, and said the countries must oppose attempts to shape global economic policies through unilateral sanctions and other coercive measures.