Ghana will formally apply to join BRICS after President John Dramani Mahama's cabinet approved the move, Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has said.
Ablakwa said the decision was part of efforts to diversify Ghana's international partnerships and create more opportunities for economic development, Ghana News Agency reported.
“Another major highlight which I am disclosing to the Ghanaian people for the first time is that the Cabinet of President John Dramani Mahama has decided that Ghana should put in a formal application to join BRICS,” Ablakwa said on Tuesday.
The minister said joining the bloc would complement, rather than replace, Ghana's existing relationships with traditional development partners.
“You do know that we are members of the IMF, we are members of the World Bank, and we are also founding members of the African multilateral financial institutions.
“But BRICS offers us that opportunity to have options in development, and you want to have options,” he said.
Diverse partnerships
Ablakwa said the move was consistent with the Mahama administration's aim of shifting Ghana from economic stabilisation towards transformative growth.
He identified India, Brazil and China as important economic partners, highlighting the expansion of trade between Ghana and India. He said bilateral trade had more than doubled from about $3 billion in 2024 to approximately $7 billion.
The government is preparing the formal application and will seek the backing of existing BRICS members, Ablakwa said.
He added that Ghana had formally sought India's support for its membership bid and received an encouraging response from Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India's Minister of External Affairs, who is on an official visit to Accra.
What is BRICS?
BRICS was formed as BRIC, comprising Brazil, Russia, India and China, and was formalised at the first meeting of BRIC foreign ministers on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in 2006.
The bloc expanded in January 2024 when Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates joined, followed by Indonesia in January 2025.
BRICS currently has 11 full members: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.
In 2025, Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam joined as partner countries.
The bloc provides a platform for consultation and cooperation on global and regional political and economic issues, including efforts to reform international governance institutions.
