Ghana is preparing to formally apply for membership of BRICS, with the government seeking to expand the country’s economic and diplomatic partnerships beyond its traditional international alliances.
Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced the decision during the official visit of India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, to Ghana.
BRICS is a cooperation bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The bloc focuses on economic, political and diplomatic cooperation among countries of the Global South.
Mr Ablakwa said Ghana’s interest in joining BRICS is intended to create more economic options for the country, broaden its international partnerships and strengthen cooperation with other developing economies.
He said India, which is a member of BRICS, would be an important partner in Ghana’s bid and disclosed that the government had already approached New Delhi for assistance with the application process.
“The 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 will be joining BRICS.
“We believe that 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, as far as South-South engagements are concerned.”
What BRICS membership could mean for Ghana
A successful application could give Ghana another platform to engage some of the world’s major emerging economies on trade, investment, infrastructure, technology, agriculture and development.
The expanded BRICS membership brings together major economies across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, giving the bloc significant economic and demographic weight.
For Ghana, membership could potentially create opportunities to broaden export markets, attract investment and deepen cooperation in sectors where BRICS countries have significant expertise and resources.
It could also provide Ghana with an additional platform to engage in discussions on reforms to global institutions and strengthen its cooperation with countries in the Global South.
However, Ghana’s announcement is a decision to apply for membership and does not mean the country has already been admitted into BRICS. Membership would depend on the bloc’s established admission process.
Ghana and India deepen cooperation
The BRICS announcement came as Ghana and India moved to strengthen their bilateral relationship across several sectors.
Mr Ablakwa said the two countries were working to expand cooperation in railway development, pharmaceuticals, ICT, defence, agriculture, science and technology.
Ghana and India have also signed two Memoranda of Understanding covering agriculture and science and technology.
Dr Jaishankar said India was interested in expanding cooperation with Ghana in pharmaceuticals, healthcare, mining, defence, railways and digital technology.
He said the two countries faced similar development challenges and could benefit from sharing knowledge, expertise and experience.
According to Dr Jaishankar, Ghana’s Accra Reset, Feed Ghana and One Million Coders initiatives have parallels with programmes being implemented in India.
The two countries have also signed agreements covering agricultural research and training as well as biodiversity.
Dr Jaishankar further welcomed Ghana’s role in the African Union and ECOWAS and called for stronger cooperation between Accra and New Delhi at the United Nations.
He also advocated closer coordination on reforms to the UN Security Council as Ghana and India seek to deepen their strategic partnership.
