Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced that the cabinet of President John Dramani Mahama has authorised the country to formally apply for membership of the BRICS grouping.

Preparations are under way to draft the application and seek backing from the existing BRICS members, according to the minister’s statements reported by the Ghana News Agency.

The government says joining BRICS would support Ghana’s economic transformation agenda by creating new investment opportunities, jobs, industrialisation and greater value‑addition to its natural resources.

Ablakwa highlighted that cooperation with BRICS would complement Ghana’s current international partnerships while expanding development options.

He identified India, Brazil and China as key economic partners and noted that trade with India had more than doubled from about US$3 billion in 2024 to roughly US$7 billion.

Ghana intends to use closer ties with BRICS nations to develop domestic processing industries and increase the share of value derived from its natural resources.

During a visit to Accra, India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar expressed support for Ghana’s aspirations but reminded that BRICS membership decisions require collective consideration by all member states.