Ghana Approves Formal Application to Join BRICS as Cabinet Backs Mahama’s Economic Diversification Drive

Ghana’s cabinet has approved a decision to formally apply to join BRICS, the geopolitical and economic bloc of emerging economies, Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has announced.

Ablakwa disclosed the decision on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, during a joint press briefing in Accra with India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who was on a two-day official visit to Ghana. “The Cabinet of President John Dramani Mahama has decided that Ghana should put in a formal application to join BRICS,” Ablakwa told reporters. He described the move as a strategic step aligned with Mahama’s vision of building a resilient and transformative economy under what the government calls the New Economy.

Ablakwa said Ghana had already reached out to India for assistance with the application process and was optimistic about receiving its backing. “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.

Jaishankar said India was supportive of Ghana’s aspirations but stressed that membership would require consideration by the wider BRICS grouping. “We have always been very sympathetic and supportive of Ghana’s aspirations and goals. Obviously, this is an issue of collective consideration, so we have to see how that goes,” Jaishankar said.

Ablakwa emphasised that the decision to pursue BRICS membership did not mean Ghana would walk away from its traditional development partners. “We want an economic growth which is sustainable, which creates jobs, which industrializes our country. We want resource sovereignty, where we can be treated as equal partners. We don’t want a situation where we continue to export raw materials. We want to add value to the natural resources that we have,” he said. He noted that Ghana maintains strong relations with all founding BRICS members including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, as well as newer members including the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Iran, all of which have diplomatic missions in Accra. He also disclosed that trade with India has more than doubled from around $3 billion in 2024 to about $7 billion currently.

BRICS was founded by Brazil, Russia, India and China, with South Africa joining in 2010. The bloc has expanded significantly in recent years, adding Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in 2024, followed by Indonesia in January 2025. The group now has 11 full members and 10 partner countries, including Nigeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. According to figures cited by BRICS, the group represents about 49.5 per cent of the world’s population, 40 per cent of global GDP and 26 per cent of global trade.

While BRICS has not published a formal list of membership criteria, certain standards have emerged. A candidate country must have good relations with its neighbours and be opposed to unilateral sanctions. Membership decisions are made by consensus of all existing members. Analysts have also noted that applicants should be emerging or developing countries with regional and strategic global influence, and should align with BRICS guiding principles including equality, solidarity, openness, inclusiveness and consensus.

The announcement has drawn mixed reactions in Ghana. Some analysts have cautioned that membership of the bloc is not the same as automatic access to financing or markets. “Benefits are not automatic. Membership brings dialogue, project opportunities and diplomatic standing, not guaranteed money or market access,” one analysis noted. Others have warned that BRICS cannot solve Ghana’s domestic challenges. “BRICS cannot improve Ghana’s institutions for us. It cannot prevent waste of public resources, maintain our infrastructure, improve the quality of education or ensure continuity of important national projects when governments change,” a GhanaWeb commentary observed. Analysts have also noted that Ghana’s fundamental challenge is production, not geopolitical alignment. As one commentator put it, “Ghana must produce more, not just trade more”.

Beyond the BRICS announcement, Ghana and India signed two Memoranda of Understanding during Jaishankar’s visit, covering agricultural research and training as well as science and technology. Ablakwa also outlined plans for the two countries to deepen cooperation in railways, pharmaceuticals, ICT, defence and agriculture. Jaishankar praised Ghana’s Accra Reset, Feed Ghana and One Million Coders programmes, drawing parallels with similar initiatives in India, and called for closer coordination between the two nations at the United Nations, including on reforming the UN Security Council.

Ghana’s application to join BRICS marks a significant shift in its foreign policy, as the country seeks to diversify its international partnerships and strengthen its engagement with the Global South. Whether the application succeeds will depend on the consensus of the 11 existing members. For now, Ghana has taken the first formal step.

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