Russia has pledged support for Ghana’s application to join the BRICS grouping as a partner country, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov promising to seek backing from the bloc’s founding members.
Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, disclosed the development following a meeting with Lavrov and other African foreign ministers on the sidelines of the Third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow.
According to Ablakwa, Lavrov assured Ghana of Russia’s support and pledged to work towards building consensus among the founding BRICS members in favour of the application. The Ghanaian minister announced the commitment in a social media post on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
Ghana’s decision to pursue partner-country status followed Cabinet approval on Oct. 6. Ablakwa has clarified that the country is not seeking full membership but a partnership arrangement that would provide closer engagement with the grouping.
The government says the application is part of efforts to diversify Ghana’s economic and diplomatic relationships, attract investment and expand opportunities for trade and development cooperation.
Ablakwa has also maintained that the move does not signal a departure from Ghana’s existing relationships with Western countries and traditional development partners. He said the administration of President John Dramani Mahama would continue to uphold the country’s foreign policy principle of non-alignment, described as “friends of all, enemies to none.”
BRICS, originally formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China, has expanded to include South Africa and several other emerging economies. Its full membership currently comprises 11 countries, while its partner-country framework provides a route for closer cooperation with states that are not full members.
Ghana’s application will require broader agreement among BRICS members. Russia’s pledge therefore represents diplomatic support for the bid, rather than confirmation that Ghana has been admitted as a partner country.
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