Nigeria Joins BRICS as a “Partner Country” in Key Expansion Move

Nigeria has officially been admitted as a “partner country” of the BRICS bloc, Brazil announced Friday. This move marks another significant expansion for the group, which was originally formed by Brazil, Russia, India, and China in 2009, with South Africa joining in 2010. The inclusion of Nigeria brings the total number of partner countries to nine, alongside Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan.

With the world’s sixth-largest population and Africa’s largest, Nigeria is seen as a key addition to BRICS due to its economic influence and active role in South-South cooperation and global governance reform. The announcement comes as BRICS continues to strengthen its global presence and shift away from reliance on the U.S. dollar in international trade, despite past warnings from former President Donald Trump about potential tariffs on the group.

This expansion follows the addition of Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates to the bloc last year, with Saudi Arabia invited to join and countries like Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Malaysia formally applying for membership.