"With a global gross domestic product of 25%, 43% of the global population and $4.4-trillion of foreign reserves base, we are certain that Brics will contribute immensely to satisfying the employment and development needs of our young population," said Zuma in a speech prepared for delivery on Tuesday.
He was addressing delegates at the opening of the Commonwealth Conference on Education and Training of Youth Workers in Pretoria on Tuesday.
South Africa will host the fifth Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit from 26 to 27 March in Durban.
He said the Commonwealth youth conference and the Brics summit should both assist to further empower youth in the developing world.
"We are thus truly excited to be part of this grouping. Our membership of Brics enhances our participation in other important groupings such as the Commonwealth."
South Africa contributed more than R2-million a year to the Commonwealth of Learning, the organisation's education drive.
The country is also involved in the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan, an international programme under which member states offer scholarships and fellowships to citizens of other Commonwealth countries.
"We therefore support the ongoing training of young people, including the mainstreaming of youth work as a discipline or a career." – Sapa