The Brazilian government has confirmed the formal admission of Nigeria as a partner country into the intergovernmental organisation popularly known as BRICS.
The South American country made the announcement in a statement by its Foreign Ministry on Friday, January 18, 2025.
According to Brazil, Nigeria and BRICS share a common interest as both actively strive to enhance cooperation among countries in the Global South.
“With the world’s sixth-largest population—and Africa’s largest—as well as being one of the continent’s major economies, Nigeria shares convergent interests with other members of BRICS. It 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 said.
Brazil is the current holder of the BRICS presidency for 2025, having taken over from Russia on January 1.
The development means Nigeria has become the 9th partner country to BRICS, joining the likes of Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, and Kazakhstan.
