The Brazilian government has announced the formal admission of Nigeria as a partner country in the multinational bloc known as BRICS.
Brazil, which currently holds the BRICS presidency for 2025, took over from Russia on January 1.
A statement by the Brazil Foreign Ministry said BRICS and Nigeria share common interests, as both actively strive to enhance cooperation among Global South countries and advocate for the reform of international organisations.
According to the statement, “With the world’s sixth-largest population—and Africa’s largest—as well as being one of the continent’s major economies, Nigeria shares convergent interests with other members of BRICS. It plays an active role in strengthening South-South cooperation and in reforming global governance—issues that are top priorities during Brazil’s current presidency.”
Indeed, Nigeria joined Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan as the 9th partner countries of BRICS, a category established at the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, in October 2024.
