Brazil announces Nigeria’s acceptance as BRICS partner country

Brazil’s government announced on Friday Nigeria’s acceptance as a partner country in the multinational bloc of nations known as BRICS. Brazil, which holds the bloc’s presidency in 2025, said in a statement that the African country has been actively “strengthening cooperation in the Global South and reforming global governance”, which has been a priority to Brazil.
“As the 6th largest population in the world and the 1st on the African continent, as well as one of the largest economies in Africa, Nigeria has converging interests with the other members of the group,” Brazil Foreign Ministry, known as Itamaraty, said in the statement. Nigeria joins the BRICS in a status already held by another eight nations primarily in Latin America, Eastern Europe and Asia. Following the development Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Saturday that Nigeria has accepted the invitation to join BRICS as a partner country. The ministry disclosed this in a statement released in Abuja by the Acting spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa. According to the statement, the partnership will help align Nigeria’s aspirations for inclusive growth and regional integration, in line with the best practices of strategic autonomy.
The statement reads, “The Federal Government of Nigeria has accepted the invitation to join BRICS as a partner country.” It further emphasised that the formal acceptance highlighted Nigeria’s commitment to fostering international collaboration, leveraging economic opportunities, and advancing strategic partnerships that aligned with the nation’s development objectives. The statement indicated, “BRICS, as a collective of major emerging economies, presents a unique platform for Nigeria to enhance trade, investment, and socio-economic cooperation with member countries. Nigeria aims to use this partnership to advance shared goals in areas such as trade and investment, energy security, infrastructure development, technology, and climate change.”
The statement said that the partnership aligned with Nigeria’s national aspirations for inclusive growth, regional integration, and active participation in shaping a fair and equitable global economic order, consistent with the country’s ethos of strategic autonomy. The ministry expressed hope to engage constructively with BRICS members to drive innovation and foster people-to-people exchanges, in alignment with national interests and strategic priorities.