Opportunity alone doesn’t create trade. Connectivity does

BRICS, an informal bloc of major emerging economies established by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining the group later, has the scale to reshape global trade. It brings together major consumer markets, manufacturing centres, and resource-rich countries, representing almost half of the world’s population and 26% of global trade.

But scale alone does not move goods.

The opportunity is there. The question is whether the infrastructure, systems, and connections exist to grow that opportunity, particularly as trade routes and tariffs shift.


The 2026 BRICS Summit recognised this, with the New Delhi Declaration advancing the BRICS Logistics Supply-Chain Cooperation Framework, alongside more digitised global value chains, closer customs cooperation, and work on public-private partnership models.

The next step is practical. BRICS needs to make it easier for goods to move between its markets.

Intra-BRICS merchandise trade reached $1.2 trillion in 2025-26, up 13 times from $84 billion in 2003. Yet it still represents only around 5% of global trade. That gap is the opportunity.

And the opportunity is to connect what already exists more effectively while creating new corridors where they are needed.

Recent disruptions have shown why this matters.

When established trade routes are constrained, businesses can find alternatives, but every alternative comes with a cost. Cargo may travel further, pass through more borders, require additional handling or spend longer in transit.

For food and energy, the consequences are more serious.

Food-producing nations need reliable access to importing markets, while import-dependent markets need predictable, uninterrupted supply. Globally, over 13% of food is lost between harvest and retail, often during transport and processing. Better cold chains, warehousing, ports, rail, and multimodal networks are, therefore, strategic infrastructure.

Digital connectivity is equally important. Real-time cargo visibility, digital documentation, integrated customs systems, and predictive supply-chain data can help businesses anticipate delays and respond before they become disruptions.

We also cannot ignore institutional friction. Non-tariff barriers and protectionist policies can undo the benefits of a trade agreement. Different standards, duplicated testing and certification, and repeated documentation can add cost and delay even where trade agreements are already in place. UNCTAD’s May 2026 Global Trade Update found that non-tariff measures can cost more than tariffs in most countries.

We can reduce some of these barriers without building a new road or port.

Dubai’s single-window model, which has processed nearly 400 million transactions since its establishment in 2003, has shown how connecting customs, ports, shipping lines, and traders through a single platform can reduce friction.

The India-UAE trade corridor shows what is possible when customs systems are connected. Nhava Sheva and Jebel Ali are linked digitally, allowing information to travel ahead of cargo and cutting clearance times by 40%.

This is a model BRICS can scale: identify priority corridors, digitise documentation, connect customs systems, and reduce the need for businesses to submit the same information multiple times.

The opportunity is also bigger than moving goods from one port to another. Connecting producers with processing, storage, and distribution closer to the markets they serve can create trade flows that did not previously make economic sense.

Food is a good example.

An integrated cluster can bring producers, processors, logistics providers, and distributors together, reducing transfers, time, cost, and food loss, while giving small and medium enterprises (SMEs) access to infrastructure they could not develop on their own.

Jebel Ali Free Zone shows how this can scale, with over 700 companies across food and beverage, agriculture, and livestock. The Dubai Food District, currently under development, is another good example.

For BRICS, that means looking at the entire journey from producer to consumer.

Investment should, therefore, target points where delays, losses, and breaks in the supply chain are most likely, whether that’s through aligning customs and food-safety requirements through digital certification, pre-clearance or dedicated green lanes for perishables that can minimise delays and protect shelf life.

A shipment of food should not lose days because a certification has to be repeated at another border. A manufacturer should not have to navigate separate digital processes for every stage of a journey. A small business should not have to absorb the cost of inefficiencies that larger companies can manage more easily.

The UAE (United Arab Emirates) has a particular role to play. As a major food-importing market, it can help connect major BRICS producers, including India and China, with consumers across the Middle East and Africa.

Delivering this will require both public and private investment.

Governments can provide policy frameworks and core infrastructure. The private sector brings capital, technology, operational expertise, and market knowledge. Together, they can develop logistics corridors and digital systems that can support trade as demand grows.

BRICS 2026 has built the momentum. The next chapter will depend on how effectively agreements are matched by the corridors, infrastructure, technology, and systems needed to move goods reliably, with alternatives when disruptions occur.

The author is the CEO & Managing Director of DP World GCC. Views are personal.