Ghana has approved plans to formally seek membership of the BRICS group, as the West African country looks to expand its economic and diplomatic partnerships beyond its traditional allies.
Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced the decision on Tuesday during a meeting with India’s External Affairs Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
Ablakwa said President John Dramani Mahama’s cabinet had endorsed Ghana’s application and that the government had already approached India for support.
“The Cabinet of President John Dramani Mahama has decided that Ghana should put in a formal application to join BRICS,” Ablakwa told reporters alongside Jaishankar.
He said membership would provide Ghana with additional economic opportunities, broaden its international partnerships and strengthen its engagement with other countries in the Global South.
“Joining India in BRICS will give us economic options, will diversify our base and our partnerships, and will also allow us to have more cooperation within the global south framework,” he said.
BRICS was established by Brazil, Russia, India and China as a grouping of major emerging economies. South Africa joined in 2010, while the bloc has expanded in recent years to include countries including Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and Indonesia.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have also been associated with the expanded BRICS membership.
Jaishankar said India welcomed Ghana’s interest in joining the bloc but noted that any application would have to be considered by the wider BRICS membership.
Ghana’s move comes as the group continues to attract interest from developing economies seeking greater cooperation in areas including trade, investment and diplomacy.
For Accra, joining BRICS would mark another step towards diversifying its international economic relationships and increasing cooperation with emerging economies in the Global South.
