BRICS has expanded its alliance by adding 13 countries, including Nigeria, as partner nations, though not as full members.
The announcement was made during the BRICS summit, held from October 22 to 24, 2024, in Kazan, Russia.
A post from the bloc on X on Thursday confirmed, “13 new nations have been accepted as official partner countries and will be part of BRICS initiatives.”
The new partner countries are Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. “They are working towards becoming full alliance members at a later date,” the post added.
Nigeria’s inclusion follows a notable increase in foreign capital inflows from BRICS nations, which surged by 189 percent in the first half of 2024 to $1.27 billion, up from $438.72 million in the same period of 2023, according to Nairametrics.
Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar previously indicated Nigeria’s intention to pursue full BRICS membership within two years, citing the country’s economic strength and large population as qualifying factors.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
