ACCRA, Ghana — Ghana will apply to join BRICS as a partner country rather than a full member, Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said on Oct. 10, MyJoyOnline reported, citing Graphic Online.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Ablakwa that Russia strongly supports the application, the Ghana News Agency reported on Oct. 29.
Key facts
- Ablakwa first announced the plan in Accra on Oct. 6 after Cabinet approval, the Ghana News Agency reported.
- In a TV3 interview on Oct. 10, he said Ghana was not seeking full membership, MyJoyOnline reported.
- Lavrov pledged to rally the founding BRICS members behind Ghana’s bid, the Ghana News Agency and Adom Online reported.
- Admission requires agreement among BRICS members, India’s foreign minister said.
What Ghana’s foreign minister said
“We want resource sovereignty where we can be treated as equal partners,” Ablakwa said, the Ghana News Agency reported.
“We are not going to walk away from our traditional partners who value that relationship, but we must have new friends,” he said.
Ablakwa cited Article 40 of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution and said the move affirms the country’s non-alignment, MyJoyOnline reported.
India and Russia respond
India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar was in Accra when Ablakwa made the first announcement, the Ghana News Agency reported.
“Obviously, this is an issue of collective consideration. So we have to see how that goes forward,” Jaishankar said.
Lavrov’s pledge came on the sidelines of the Third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow. Accounts of the setting differ. The Ghana News Agency described a meeting between Lavrov and Ablakwa. Adom Online said it was a breakfast meeting between Lavrov and African foreign ministers.
Ablakwa announced the Russian support in a Facebook post, Adom Online reported. “I convey Ghana’s deep appreciation to my revered colleague and great friend,” he wrote.
Related coverage
Sources
- Ghana News Agency, “Ghana to apply for BRICS membership – Ablakwa,” Oct. 6, 2026
- MyJoyOnline (Graphic Online), “Ghana not seeking full BRICS membership, applying as Partner Country – Ablakwa,” Oct. 10, 2026
- Ghana News Agency, “Russia strongly supports Ghana’s application to join BRICS – Sergey Lavrov,” Oct. 29, 2026
- Adom Online, “Russia backs Ghana’s bid to join BRICS, pledges to lobby founding members,” Oct. 28, 2026
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