Ghana Seeks BRICS Partner Status, Not Full Membership — Okudzeto Ablakwa Clarifies

Ghana intends to apply to join BRICS as a Partner Country rather than seek full membership, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has clarified. He explained that the decision forms part of Ghana’s efforts to diversify its strategic development options while protecting its national interests and maintaining relations with traditional international partners.

In a statement shared on October 10, 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Ablakwa provided the clarification during an exclusive interview on TV3’s Saturday morning talk show, Key Points, on October 10. The clarification follows his earlier announcement that Ghana intended to apply for BRICS membership.

According to the minister, Ghana already enjoys excellent relations with BRICS member countries and sees the bloc as a platform for strengthening cooperation with natural allies. He stressed that the decision was guided by the need to prioritise Ghana’s national interest, as enshrined in Article 40 of the 1992 Constitution.

Ablakwa explained that BRICS brings together major emerging markets and developing countries, providing a platform for consultation and cooperation on contemporary issues of global and regional significance. These include matters relating to global political and economic governance, where Ghana could engage with other countries on shared interests.

The minister also sought to allay concerns that Ghana’s decision to pursue Partner Country status could affect its relations with traditional partners that may have ideological differences with BRICS member countries. He maintained that the move would not amount to disengagement from those partners but would instead reaffirm Ghana’s longstanding foreign policy of non-alignment.

To illustrate this position, Ablakwa referred to Ghana’s foreign policy under the country’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, during the Cold War. He explained that Nkrumah maintained relations with competing global powers, securing support from the United States for the construction of the Akosombo Dam while also engaging the then Soviet Union, now Russia, in Ghana’s nuclear research programme.

The minister further disclosed that Ghana had engaged with European Union member states before announcing its decision to pursue BRICS Partner Country status. He said Ghana communicated the rationale behind the move and explained that the country had the right to diversify its strategic options for development without seeking to sever its existing relationships.

BRICS originated as BRIC, comprising Brazil, Russia, India and China, and was formalised at the first meeting of BRIC foreign ministers on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in 2006. Its inaugural summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009, before South Africa joined the grouping in 2011, leading to the adoption of the name BRICS.

The bloc has since expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which became members in January 2024, as well as Indonesia, which joined in January 2025.

Several other countries have also joined as Partner Countries. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, these include Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam, which joined the partnership framework in 2025.

If Ghana’s application is successful, the country will join this group of Partner Countries rather than become a full member of BRICS. The proposed move is expected to provide Ghana with another avenue for international consultation and cooperation while maintaining its existing diplomatic and economic relationships.

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