Ghana not seeking full BRICS membership, applying as Partner Country – Ablakwa

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has clarified that Ghana is not seeking full membership of BRICS, but intends to apply as a Partner Country.

In an interview on TV3's Key Points on Saturday, October 10, the Minister explained that Ghana already enjoys excellent relations with BRICS member countries and will be joining natural allies in what is arguably the largest trading bloc today.

He stressed that at the heart of the decision is the desire to seek the national interest first, as enshrined in Article 40 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.

The Minister noted that BRICS brings together eleven major emerging markets and developing countries: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. It will therefore serve as a useful platform for consultation and cooperation on contemporary issues having global and regional significance.

Mr Ablakwa dispelled fears that the decision will affect Ghana's relations with its traditional partner countries. He explained that, on the contrary, the decision affirms Ghana's policy of non-alignment, which enabled President Kwame Nkrumah, at the height of the Cold War, to secure support from the United States to build the Akosombo Dam while also getting the then Soviet Union to launch Africa's pioneering atomic energy programme.

He further disclosed that prior to the announcement, there were engagements with European Union member states, and Ghana was clear in communicating the rationale for its decision, which was within its right to diversify strategic options for development.

Background

BRIC was formalised at the first meeting of BRIC Foreign Ministers on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in 2006.

The inaugural BRIC Summit was convened in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009. It was agreed to expand BRIC into BRICS with the inclusion of South Africa in 2010.

Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE became full members from January 2024, and Indonesia in January 2025. Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam joined BRICS as Partner Countries in 2025. Ghana will therefore become part of these countries, in terms of status, if its bid succeeds.

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