Ghana’s Cabinet has approved a decision to seek membership of BRICS and the country will now formally apply to join the grouping, the African nation’s Foreign Minister Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa said on Wednesday, with India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar saying New Delhi has been “very sympathetic and supportive” of Accra’s aspirations.
EAM Jaishankar arrived in Ghana on Tuesday on the first leg of his three-nation tour of African countries, which also includes Cote d’Ivoire and Ethiopia. Ghana’s BRICS announcement came as Jaishankar held talks with its leadership during his visit. Jaishankar and Ablakwa together addressed the media on Wednesday after their meeting.
Ablakwa said Ghana’s decision was aimed at diversifying its international partnerships and giving the country more options in its development agenda, while stressing that it would not abandon its traditional partners such as the IMF and World Bank.
“We want to have options. We are not going to walk away from our traditional partners. We value that relationship, but we must have new friends,” he said.
The foreign minister said Ghana also wanted to strengthen ties with historical partners such as India, Brazil and China, which already have significant trade and investment engagement with the West African country.
He said Ghana’s trade with India had more than doubled, from around USD 3 billion in 2024, and that the country was seeking to take it to around USD 7 billion.
Ablakwa said BRICS membership would give Ghana greater options as it seeks to transform its economy, create jobs and industrialise, and advance what he described as an agenda of resource sovereignty.
He further said Ghana wanted to work with partners with shared interests and commitments and believed its BRICS aspirations aligned with President John Dramani Mahama’s foreign policy priorities and his vision of a multipolar world.
Ghana will now take steps to formally apply for membership and seek the support of existing BRICS members, Ablakwa said, noting that admission would ultimately require the approval of the grouping.
EAM Jaishankar, adding to Ablakwa’s response, said BRICS brings together countries that value independence of thought and freedom of choice and that it was understandable that the grouping’s message would resonate in different parts of the world.
“Where we are concerned, we have always been very sympathetic and supportive of Ghana’s aspirations and hopes,” Jaishankar said, while noting that the issue would be a matter for collective consideration.
Separately, Jaishankar said India and Ghana were looking to expand cooperation in pharmaceuticals and healthcare, mining, defence, railways and digital sectors as the two countries seek to take their Comprehensive Partnership to the “next level”.
“Now that we have established a comprehensive partnership, we need to live up to that. We need to find new areas of cooperation. We need to deepen our long-standing partnership,” Jaishankar said.
He said the two sides had discussed how to pool their experience and share development solutions, noting similarities between programmes in Ghana and India in areas including food security, healthcare, digitalisation and infrastructure.
The two countries also signed agreements on agricultural research and training and biodiversity, Jaishankar said.
Jaishankar also highlighted how Indian businesses had been active in Ghana and referred to recent investment commitments in pharmaceuticals and medical services, poultry and renewable energy.
The minister said the two countries’ partnership could help strengthen resilience and promote inclusive growth, particularly amid a turbulent global environment.
He said India and Ghana also have a similar outlook on reform of the United Nations, including the Security Council, and should work together as Global South partners. “We feel that as Global South partners we should be working together strongly for the reform of the United Nations, including the Security Council,” Jaishankar said.
He also said the world was moving towards multipolarity and greater diversity, and said countries such as India and Ghana should stand up as voices of independence and advocates of strategic autonomy.
-PTI
