Cabinet approves Ghana’s bid to join BRICS — Ablakwa
Ghana has taken the first formal step towards joining the BRICS bloc after Cabinet approved the country’s intention to apply for membership, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has announced.
Mr Ablakwa said the decision forms part of President John Dramani Mahama’s broader strategy to diversify Ghana’s international partnerships and support the government’s economic transformation agenda, known as the New Economy.
He made the disclosure on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at a joint press briefing in Accra with India’s visiting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
According to Mr Ablakwa, Ghana’s proposed membership of BRICS is intended to provide the country with more options in pursuing its development objectives while strengthening cooperation with emerging economic powers.
"The President Mahama-led administration believes that BRICS offers an incredible opportunity that aligns with his vision for economic growth. You do know that we are moving from stabilisation now to a transformative economic path, what we are calling the New Economy, and the Cabinet has approved seven pillars under the New Economy.
“To anchor the President's new economic vision, we believe that we must diversify our international cooperation," Mr Ablakwa said.
BRICS was originally established by Brazil, Russia, India and China as a grouping of major emerging economies and developing countries seeking greater influence in global affairs and a stronger voice in international institutions.
South Africa joined the grouping in 2010, resulting in the adoption of the BRICS acronym.
The bloc has since expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which joined in 2024, followed by Indonesia. Belarus, Cuba, Malaysia and Vietnam are among countries that joined as partner nations in 2025.
Mr Ablakwa said Ghana’s decision was also influenced by the Mahama administration’s foreign policy priorities, particularly resource sovereignty and the need for the country to determine its economic path without excessive dependence on conditionalities from international institutions.
"So, these are the reasons that went into the cabinet decision. But we are now going to take baby steps to formally apply and to seek the support. You know you have to be accepted. You must be admitted," he said.
He expressed confidence that Ghana would receive support from existing BRICS members, pointing to the country’s longstanding diplomatic relations with Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, as well as newer members such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Mr Ablakwa noted that all those countries have diplomatic missions in Accra, which he said would strengthen Ghana’s engagement as it seeks backing for its application.
"We have excellent relations with all of them. They all have diplomatic missions here, and we know we can count on them to support Ghana's bid. And we've just had a BRICS summit, a very successful summit, if I may say so myself, in New Delhi, and I think it's understandable that the message of BRICS would resonate in different parts of the world," he said.
Seeking more options
Mr Ablakwa stressed that Ghana’s interest in BRICS should not be interpreted as an attempt to abandon its traditional development partners.
He said the proposed membership would instead give Ghana greater flexibility in determining its economic and development partnerships.
"BRICS offers us that opportunity to have options in development agenda, you want to have options," he said.
“We value that relationship, but we must have new friends, and we must also begin to look at our historical partners like India, Brazil, China, already these are countries that we have enormous trade and investment engagements with," he said.
The Foreign Affairs Minister cited Ghana’s expanding economic ties with India as an example, saying bilateral trade had increased from about $3 billion in 2024 to approximately $7 billion currently.
He also described China as a major economic partner for Ghana and said BRICS could provide an additional platform for advancing trade, investment and industrialisation.
"So this is an important partner, and you know China, it's also a very major economic player in our country. And so BRICS gives us that opportunity to transform this economy, and to align with the President's vision, with the transformative agenda, because we are taking off, and we don't want to remain at just stability.
“We want an economic growth which is sustainable, which creates jobs, which industrializes our country," he said.
Mr Ablakwa said Ghana’s broader objective was to move away from exporting raw materials and instead build stronger domestic capacity to add value to the country’s natural resources.
"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, and we want to work with partners who have the same shared history and shared commitments. And you do know that competition helps, and we believe in a multi-polar world," Mr Ablakwa stated.
He, however, stressed that Ghana would continue to engage with the Bretton Woods institutions and maintain its role in African multilateral financial institutions.
Mr Ablakwa cited the support provided by Afreximbank during Ghana’s 2023-2024 financial crisis, saying the institution had provided about $700 million to assist the country.
India welcomes Ghana’s aspirations
For his part, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said India had consistently supported Ghana’s development aspirations but noted that Ghana’s potential BRICS membership would require consideration by the wider 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 forward," he said.