Given its very high ratings, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s victory in the 2014 general election was rather predictable — and still it caused a sensation: The BJP managed to win as many as 282 seats in the 543-seat Lok Sabha, the lower house of the bicameral Indian parliament, and virtually become the sole political leader in the ‘world’s largest democracy’. Compare this with the 159 seats that the BJP, also known as the Saffron Party, ended up with after the previous vote in 2009. The dramatic improvement was attributed by many to the charisma of leader Narendra Modi, who took over as prime minister. Now, the self-proclaimed chowkidar, or watchman, looks back at what was done during his first term in office. Expert views are mixed, with some considering it very successful and others expressing doubts.

Talking about the achievements of the Russian nanoindustry, the head of RUSNANO, Anatoly Chubais, likes to build his speech around the formula ‘previously there was no, but now there is’. He claims that the industry has met the expectations, and RUSNANO itself has been turned into a self-financing tool for the reproduction of innovations, capable of doubling the number of new high-tech enterprises about once every 10 years.

As he endeavours to build a most exceptional and efficient company, head of PhosAgro Andrey Guryev has complete faith in Russia’s bright future as an agricultural superpower that will feed the entire world with wholefood. On his part, he is keen to give every fruit of the earth the nutrition it needs.

What makes big businessmen from Russia different from entrepreneurs in other countries? What are their investment preferences? What problems are associated with large fortunes and who deals with them? Dmitry Breitenbikher, Head of VTB Private Banking answers these questions to BRICS Business Magazine.

As relations between Russia and Africa were reset on a more solid track during the Second Summit in St. Petersburg earlier this year, Dr. Philani Mthembu is looking beyond the event in an attempt to envisage how the two may further navigate the fragmented geopolitical landscape.