BRICS offers Nigeria partner country status

Brazil, the BRICS chair, said that Nigeria has been admitted as a partner country in the group.

The decision was based on the role of Nigeria in “strengthening cooperation in the Global South and reforming global governance”, Brazil said in a statement.

“As the 6th largest population in the world and the 1st on the African continent, as well as one of the largest economies in Africa, Nigeria has converging interests with the other members of the group,” Brazil Foreign Ministry, known as Itamaraty, said in the statement.

Nigeria becomes the ninth BRICS partner country, joining Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan.

Last year, the bloc opened membership to Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.

Saudi Arabia has been invited to join. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have formally applied to become members. Algeria’s membership, however, was rejected.