Has Egypt done enough to earn a spot in BRICS?

Egypt’s pundits ask: Has Egypt done enough to earn a spot among the BRICS? To earn a spot, Egypt needs to buckle down and formulate a comprehensive economic vision with specific goals that all state institutions can work on implementing, Alaa El Hadidi writes for Al Shorouk. It’s not enough that the size of Egypt’s economy is relatively close to that of South Africa, particularly as we compete with other countries such as Mexico, Guinea, and Thailand, El Hadidi says. On the flipside, Al Ahram’s Mohamed Hegazy argues that the government’s aggressive economic reform program should be enough to secure a place in the group. Hegazy also points to improvements in Egypt’s investment climate and mega projects, as well as the government’s commitment to development and equitable growth.