Brazil has officially announced Nigeria's admission as a partner country in the BRICS alliance.
The Brazilian Foreign Ministry made the announcement, welcoming the Nigerian government's decision to join the group.
"The Brazilian government welcomes the Nigerian government’s decision," the statement said, marking an important development for both countries.
The BRICS alliance, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has been expanding as more countries expressed interest in joining the group of leading emerging economies. The creation of a partner-country category was introduced at the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan in October 2024, and during the summit, reports indicated that Nigeria had been accepted as a partner country.
Eche Abu-Obe, the then-spokesperson for Nigeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had also highlighted Nigeria's acceptance into the BRICS partnership.
With this announcement, Nigeria becomes the ninth partner country of BRICS, joining Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan. The Brazilian Foreign Ministry noted that Nigeria, with the world’s sixth-largest population and Africa’s largest, as well as being one of the continent’s major economies, shares common interests with the other BRICS members.
“Nigeria plays an active role in strengthening South-South cooperation and in reforming global governance—issues that are top priorities during Brazil’s current presidency,” the statement added.
Nigeria has continued to advocate for full membership in the BRICS alliance, with hopes that its new partnership status will pave the way for deeper engagement in the future.