Ghana has taken a significant step toward seeking membership of BRICS after Cabinet approved the country’s decision to formally apply to join the bloc of emerging economies, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has announced.
The decision signals Ghana’s growing interest in strengthening its economic and diplomatic engagement with emerging global powers at a time when the international system is undergoing significant transformation and developing countries are seeking greater influence in global affairs.
The government’s decision does not mean that Ghana has become a member of BRICS. Rather, it marks the beginning of a formal process through which Ghana will seek membership and engage existing BRICS members for their support.
What is BRICS?
BRICS is a grouping of major emerging economies originally formed around Brazil, Russia, India and China, with South Africa joining in 2010. The grouping takes its name from the initial members and has since expanded significantly.
The bloc currently has 11 full members: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.
Its expansion has strengthened BRICS’ position as an important platform for economic cooperation and political dialogue among countries of the Global South.
The group has increasingly presented itself as a voice for developing and emerging economies seeking greater representation in international institutions and a more balanced global economic system.
Ghana seeks a place in a changing global order
Ghana’s decision to pursue BRICS membership comes against the backdrop of an increasingly multipolar international system.
For Ghana, joining BRICS could provide an additional platform for strengthening economic cooperation with some of the world’s largest emerging economies while creating opportunities in areas including trade, investment, infrastructure, technology, agriculture, energy and industrial development.
The move could also complement Ghana’s existing relationships with traditional development partners while expanding opportunities for South South cooperation.
Ghana has historically pursued an active foreign policy built around multilateral cooperation, African integration and engagement with countries across different regions of the world. Its prospective BRICS membership could therefore broaden its diplomatic and economic partnerships rather than necessarily replacing existing relationships.
Potential economic opportunities
One of the strongest potential benefits of BRICS membership is the opportunity to deepen Ghana’s economic engagement with large and rapidly developing markets.
Ghana could use greater engagement with BRICS countries to attract investment into strategic sectors and promote opportunities under its industrialisation and economic transformation agenda.
The country possesses significant natural resources, including gold, cocoa, oil and natural gas. Greater cooperation with BRICS economies could create opportunities to move beyond the export of raw commodities by encouraging processing, manufacturing and value addition within Ghana.
If effectively negotiated, such partnerships could support technology transfer, skills development, local production and employment.
The potential benefits, however, will depend largely on Ghana’s ability to translate diplomatic engagement into concrete economic outcomes.
Strengthening Ghana’s voice in the Global South
Ghana’s interest in BRICS also carries an important diplomatic dimension.
The expansion of BRICS has coincided with growing calls from developing countries for reforms to international institutions that shape global economic and political affairs.
Ghana’s participation could provide another platform from which the country can advocate for stronger representation of African and developing countries in global decision making.
This is particularly relevant to longstanding discussions surrounding reform of institutions such as the United Nations Security Council, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
Ghana has consistently supported multilateralism and greater African participation in global governance. Deeper engagement with BRICS could therefore complement the country’s broader efforts to strengthen Africa’s voice on the international stage.
What Ghana must consider
While prospective BRICS membership presents opportunities, it also requires careful consideration of Ghana’s national interests.
Membership should ultimately produce tangible benefits for the Ghanaian economy, including increased trade, investment, industrial development, technology transfer and access to new markets.
The government would also need to carefully manage Ghana’s relationships with its existing international partners while maintaining the country’s longstanding commitment to an independent and pragmatic foreign policy.
The central question, therefore, should not simply be whether Ghana joins BRICS, but how effectively the country can use membership to advance its economic and diplomatic interests.
A potential new chapter in Ghana’s foreign policy
Cabinet’s approval represents an important development in Ghana’s international engagement, but the country’s journey toward BRICS membership has only begun.
Ghana will still have to formally pursue its application and engage existing members as it seeks support for its bid. The outcome will ultimately depend on the membership process and the response of the existing BRICS countries.
If Ghana succeeds, membership could provide an additional platform for attracting investment, expanding international markets, supporting industrialisation and strengthening the country’s voice in discussions about the future of global economic governance.
As the international system continues to evolve toward a more multipolar order, Ghana’s decision to pursue BRICS membership could become an important chapter in the country’s foreign policy and its broader effort to position itself strategically within the emerging global economy.
For Ghana, however, the significance of BRICS membership will ultimately be measured not simply by the prestige of belonging to an influential international grouping, but by whether that membership delivers meaningful opportunities for economic transformation, national development and a stronger African voice in global affairs.
References
Ghana News Agency. (2026, October 6). Ghana to apply for BRICS membership – Ablakwa. Ghana News Agency
MyJoyOnline. (2026, October 6). Ghana to apply to join BRICS – Okudzeto Ablakwa. MyJoyOnline
Graphic Online. (2026, October 6). Ablakwa says Cabinet has approved Ghana’s bid to join BRICS. Graphic Online
Starr FM. (2026, October 6). Ghana to formally apply to join BRICS after Cabinet approval – Ablakwa. Starr FM
Citi Newsroom. (2026, October 6). Ghana to formally apply to join BRICS – Ablakwa. Citi Newsroom
BRICS Brazil. (2025). Issue Note on Brazil’s BRICS Presidency. BRICS Brazil
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Ghana. (2026). Minister for Foreign Affairs – Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ghana
