VMPL
New Delhi [India], September 15: The BRICS Chamber of Commerce & Industry hosted the BRICS+ Dialogue 2026 at the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya, bringing together business leaders, policymakers, diplomats, entrepreneurs, investors, academics and sectoral experts from across the BRICS+ ecosystem.
Held under the theme “Building Inclusive, Innovative & Resilient Pathways for the Global South,” the Dialogue took place as India holds the BRICS Presidency. It was organised by BRICS CCI and powered by GrowQR.
The through-line across the day was that BRICS+ has moved from being a grouping that responds to global economic conditions to one capable of setting them. Between them, member and partner states account for 45 per cent of the world's population and nearly 40 per cent of global GDP, along with the largest concentration of young working-age people anywhere on the planet. Across all three sessions, speakers returned to the same theme: what that scale makes possible in access to technology, to markets, to capital and to opportunity itself.
Mr. Sameep Shastri, Chairman, BRICS CCI & President, BRICS CCI Young Leaders, underlined the need to move beyond dialogue towards tangible outcomes. “BRICS+ must move from dialogue to delivery, creating real partnerships, investments, technology linkages and opportunities across the Global South.”
Opening the proceedings, Ms. Shabana Nasim, Vice Chairperson, BRICS CCI, said: “Technology, education and women's empowerment must work together to build truly inclusive and future-ready economies across BRICS+.”
In his Special Address, Mr. Atul Banshal, Vice Chairman, BRICS CCI, said the next phase of BRICS+ cooperation must deepen the movement of capital, technology, talent and enterprise across the bloc's markets.
Delivery, not declaration
A key outcome of the Dialogue was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Karnataka State Marketing Communications and Advertising Limited (KSMCA) and the BRICS Women's Business Alliance South Africa under the “Screen to Market Pathway 2028” initiative. The MoU creates practical cross-border pathways for creative talent, enterprises and market access, and is designed as a working mechanism between two named institutions rather than a statement of intent.
Women's leadership in innovation ecosystems
The first session, “From Margins to Mainstream: Institutionalising Women's Leadership in BRICS Innovation Ecosystems,” examined the role of women in entrepreneurship, innovation, technology and decision-making. It was moderated by Ms. Ruby Sinha, President, BRICS CCI WE, and brought together Mr. Sanjay Bhattacharyya, former Indian Foreign Secretary and former BRICS Sherpa; HRH Ms. Lebogang Zulu, Executive Chairperson, BRICS Women's Business Alliance South Africa; Ms. Monica Monteiro, Chairperson, BRICS WBA Brazilian Chapter; Ms. Shadi Sedghinejad; and Ms. Yana Oseyeva.
“Women's leadership is an economic imperative,” Ms. Sinha said. “BRICS+ must expand women's access to capital, markets, mentorship and decision-making.” HRH Ms. Zulu added that economic empowerment means connecting women to capital, markets and opportunities at scale.
Mr. Bhattacharyya noted: “As BRICS+ expands, its strength will depend on the quality of cooperation it creates across societies, economies and knowledge networks.” Ms. Monteiro said stronger cross-border networks can help women entrepreneurs turn ideas into markets, partnerships and opportunities.
Building the startup economy across the bloc
The second session, “Building the BRICS+ Innovation and Startup Economy,” focused on entrepreneurship, investment, technology and digital transformation across the bloc. Moderated by Mr. Bibin Babu, Executive Director, BRICS CCI and Founder & CEO, GrowQR, it brought together Mr. Dmitry Khrichenko, Ms. Nokuthula Nokky Ndlovu, Mr. Mudit Kumar, Mr. Anudeep Muttavarapu, Dr. Nageswara Rao Atyam, Mr. P. Ramakrishna and Mr. Mahavir Pratap Sharma.
“BRICS+ can connect founders, investors, technology ecosystems and markets, enabling innovation from the Global South to scale globally,” Mr. Babu said.
Delivering a keynote address earlier in the day, Mr. Babu made the case that the bloc's demographic position is its central advantage in the AI era. India has over 600 million people under 25. Brazil will add 70 million young people to its workforce over the next decade. “We are not a footnote in the AI story,” he said. “We are the plot.”
He argued that AI, applied deliberately, is the most powerful instrument for opening access the world has built, pointing to how credit scoring opened access to capital, navigation opened access to movement and real-time translation turned language from a wall into a door. “In every case, AI did not replace human capability. AI made human capability legible to the world.” The same, he said, can now be done for talent across every BRICS+ market.
Healthcare cooperation across borders
The third session, “Health Beyond Borders: Advancing a Shared Vision for the Future,” addressed healthcare cooperation as a component of sustainable development. Moderated by Mr. Prann Sharma, Director General, BRICS CCI, it brought together Ms. Pauline Maksimovna Pavlova, Ms. Mbali Khumalo, Dr. Anoop Mirakhur, Dr. Shuchin Bajaj, Dr. Vaibhav Kapoor, Dr. Anupama Mutthige and Dr. Moumita Nandy.
“Healthcare offers BRICS+ an opportunity to combine technology, traditional knowledge and affordable delivery models to create solutions that cross borders,” Mr. Sharma said.
The Dialogue also featured a keynote address by Dr. Payal Bansal Kanodia, Promoter, M3M Group and Chairperson, Paralympic Committee of India. “Inclusive growth means creating opportunities for every individual to participate, contribute and lead,” she said. “Stronger partnerships across the Global South can help turn this vision into meaningful social and economic impact.”
The Dialogue closed with a renewed emphasis on building an ecosystem in which cooperation among Global South economies translates into markets, investments, innovation, knowledge exchange and inclusive opportunity.
About BRICS CCI
The BRICS Chamber of Commerce & Industry promotes commercial engagement between businesses across BRICS and BRICS+ member states, with focus on small and medium enterprises, emerging entrepreneurs and cross-border investment. The BRICS+ Dialogue 2026 was organised by BRICS CCI and powered by GrowQR, with support from the BRICS Women's Business Alliance, Dexter Energy, SABYA, SACCI, NIELIT, World People's Assembly, ACCWs, Ideabaaz and Easy Knowledge Club.
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BRICS+ Dialogue 2026 Presses Bloc to Widen Access to AI, Capital and Talent; India, South Africa Sign Creative-Sector Pact
