Russia backs Ghana’s bid for BRICS partner-country status

Russia has pledged to support Ghana’s application to become a partner country of the BRICS bloc, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov promising to engage the group’s founding members to build consensus in favour of the country’s bid.

Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, disclosed this in a Facebook post on Wednesday, October 28, following a breakfast meeting with Mr Lavrov and other African foreign ministers on the sidelines of the ongoing Russia-Africa Summit.

According to Mr Ablakwa, the Russian Foreign Minister assured Ghana of Moscow’s backing and committed to lobbying the other founding members of BRICS to support the application.

Ghana announced its intention to join the bloc on October 6, 2026, after Cabinet approved the move. Mr Ablakwa made the announcement during a joint press briefing in Accra with India’s External Affairs Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

The country is seeking partner-country status as part of a broader strategy to diversify its diplomatic and economic relationships and create additional opportunities for cooperation.

Securing the status could open further avenues for Ghana to strengthen international partnerships and explore new economic opportunities in pursuit of its development priorities.

Mr Ablakwa said the Mahama administration remained committed to Ghana’s longstanding non-aligned foreign policy, which is guided by the principle of being “friends of all, enemies to none”.

He stressed that the government would continue to pursue partnerships that advance Ghana’s national interests while maintaining the country’s established diplomatic principles.

BRICS is an intergovernmental grouping of major emerging economies that promotes economic cooperation and coordination among its members. Its partner-country framework allows countries that are not full members to establish closer ties with the bloc.