Nigeria seeking BRICS and G20 backers
Nigeria has asked South Africa to support its bid to join the G20 and the BRICS group of leading and emerging economies, the West African nation’s public broadcaster NAN has reported.
Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Nigeria’s foreign minister, made the request on Monday during a Bi-National Commission (BNC) meeting between the two countries in Cape Town, South Africa.
Pretoria officially assumed the rotating presidency of the G20 on Sunday, taking over from Brazil at the group’s summit in Rio de Janeiro last month. South Africa had been the sole African member in the Group of 20 major economies until the African Union was admitted in 2023.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has said his government will use the chairmanship role to advance the development priorities of Africa and the Global South.
“We will count on Nigeria’s wise counsel as we assume this major responsibility,” South African International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola said, welcoming Nigeria’s endorsement request, according to NAN.
“Our people expect South Africa and Nigeria, given our common roots, to continue working together and more closely in order that their conditions and prospects are improved and the quality of life enhanced,” Lamola stated.
Since last year, Nigeria has hinted at joining BRICS, which initially comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. It expanded when Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates officially became members in January.
In March, Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar told Sputnik during a working visit to Moscow that Africa’s most populous state intended to formally apply for BRICS membership once necessary domestic arrangements were completed. He previously stated in November 2023 that the country would seek to join the economic alliance within the next two years to ensure its representation and influence on the global stage.
Russian officials, including Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, have reported increasing interest by several African countries in BRICS, whose current members account for an estimated 46% of the world’s population and over 36% of global GDP.
Oil-rich Nigeria’s leader, Bola Tinubu, has sought to implement a number of ambitious reforms aimed at diversifying the economy amid a rising cost of living crisis that has sparked anti-government protests.
Last month, local daily Punch cited Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima as stating that the country had attracted $1.27 billion in investments from BRICS countries by mid-2024, nearly three times more than in the same period last year.
On Tuesday, President Tinubu announced that he will lead negotiations in key areas such as trade, investment, defense, and banking cooperation with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa at the BNC session.
“As two of Africa’s leading economies, Nigeria and South Africa must keep working together to ensure shared prosperity for our countries and Africa,” he wrote on X.
