 "Africa's top economic power, Nigeria, joins Brics as partner country as bloc's expansion countinues")
Nigeria has been admitted as a “partner country” of the Brics bloc of developing economies, according to Brazil, which currently holds the group’s chairmanship.
The Brics alliance, initially formed by Brazil, Russia, India, and China in 2009, expanded in 2010 to include South Africa. The bloc was established as a counterbalance to the Group of Seven leading industrialised nations.
For 2025, Brazil holds the bloc’s presidency. In a statement, Brasilia said that the African country has been actively “strengthening cooperation in the Global South and reforming global governance”. Brazil has stressed on bolstering cooperation as a priority in its foreign policy in recent times.
“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.
Brics: Growing membership and influence
Last year, Brics welcomed Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates as new members. Saudi Arabia has also been invited to join. Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Malaysia have formally applied for membership, while several other nations have expressed interest.
Nigeria becomes the ninth partner country of Brics, joining Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan.
An alternative to US hegemony?
In the past, analysts have suggested that Western hypocrisy and hegemony– which has become especially evident over issues such as the conflict in West Asia and Ukraine– have helped strengthen the bond betweent the members of the Brics+ countries.
In fact, to fight against the hyperweaponisation of sanctions, and the brunt the dollar’s exorbitant privilege puts on middle-income countries, the bloc’s leaders have been contemplating plans to develop an alternative payment system independent of the US dollar.
Last year, President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose 100 per cent tariffs against Brics nations if they took actions to undermine the dollar.
With inputs from agencies
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