By Kestér Kenn KLOMEGÂH
With heightening of geopolitical interest in building a new Global South architecture, the newly created administration at Ghana’s Jubilee House has to consider joining the ‘partner states category’ of BRICS+, an association of five major emerging economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).
Under the rotating presidency of the Republic of Brazil, the National Democratic Party (NDC) and the elected President John Dramani Mahama, while crafting future pathways and renewing commitments over democracy and governance, designing a new economic recovery programme cum macroeconomic stability as top priorities, could initiate serious discussions relating to putting Ghana on another stage by ascending unto BRICS+ platform.
Certainly this step of ascending unto BRICS+ platform would, in the first place, become a historical landmark for the Republic of Ghana. As already well-known, Ghana has attained prestigious status in a number of multilateral institutions and organizations such as the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), the African Union (AU), the United Nations and also from Jan. 2025 has become the head of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Unlike South Africa, which has acquired a full-fledged membership status in 2011, and Ethiopia, Nigeria and Uganda were taken into the ‘partner states’ category, Ghana similarly has all the fundamental requirements to become one of them in BRICS+ alliance.
In order to grasp the multifaceted advantages of joining this alliance and its implications, it is necessary to understand the basic definition and meaning of BRICS+ in the context of the geopolitical changing world.
There have been multiple misinterpretations in the media what the alliance stands for and its line of operations on the basis of non-interference. Simply, BRICS is not outright an anti-Western association, it stays open to mutual cooperation from countries with ‘like-minded’ political philosophy.
In a further definition, BRICS is simply a non-western association, and members have the freedom to engage their bilateral relations any external country of their choice. However, despite these challenges, the BRICS+ role as a sustainable and sought-after format for multilateral interaction, primarily seeks a fairer world order based on the sovereign equality for its members-states.
In addition to that, BRICS+ strategic partnership has explicitly showed that it is not a confrontation association, but rather that of cooperation designed to address global challenges, and is based on respect for the right of each country to determine its own future.
South Africa and other African countries associated with BRICS+
South Africa is strongly committed to its engagement in the BRICS+. It has, so far, hosted two of its summits. In future, Egypt and Ethiopia would have the chance to host BRICS+ summit, thus uplifting their role further on BRICS+ stage.
Many experts still question the role of BRICS members in Africa. Egypt and Ethiopia have excellent relations with members, and simultaneously transact business and trade with other non-BRICS+, external countries.
The New Development Bank (BRICS) was established in 2015, has financed more than 100 projects, with total loans reaching approximately $35 billion, and it is great that the branch of this bank operates from Johannesburg in South Africa. Understandably with this, South Africa can be an investment gateway to the rest of Africa.
In 2021, Bangladesh, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Uruguay joined the NDB. The bank claims to be working independently without any political strings, and has further pledged to support development initiatives in developing countries in the Global South.
It has made its key tasks including investing in the economy through concessional loans, to achieve alleviating poverty and hardships to sustainable economic growth. The bank’s documents show interest in engaging in traditional sectors such as alternative energy, information, telecommunications and new medical technologies, processing of mineral resources and working towards agricultural production growth. According to President of the BRICS New Development Bank, Dilma Rousseff, “The bank should play a major role in the development of a multipolar, polycentric world.”
Ethiopia and Egypt are the latest addition to BRICS+ association from January 2024. South Africa and Egypt being the economic power houses, while Ethiopia ranks 8th position in the continent. In terms of demography, Nigeria is the populous, with an estimated 220 million people while Uganda has a population of 46 million.
What is esential here is that South Africa, Ethiopia and Egypt are full members, Algeria, Nigeria and Uganda were offered ‘partner states’ category. Whether a full member or belongs to the partner state category, all these countries pursue comprehensive and multi-dimensional cooperation with external countries both in the northern and southern hemisphere. BRICS+ has absolutely no restrictions with whom to strike bilateral relationship.
From the above premise, Mahama’s administration could work out a strategic plan to establish full coordination with and request support from the heterogeneity of African members, South Africa, Egypt and Ethiopia, in order to initiate a working framework within to join the association’s partner states category.
There is also the possibility to attain full-fledged membership depending on approach and legitimate exhibition of valued-potentiality. Worthy to note here that its membership benefits can not be under-estimated, especially during this era of shifting economic architecture and geopolitical situation.
Queuing for BRICS+ Membership
Records have shown that Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger which historically sharing the cross-border region of West Africa, are in the queue to ascend into the BRICS+ association. These three West African states have formed their own regional economic and defense pact, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) on September 16, 2023, and currently aspiring for leveraging unto BRICS+, as this could help, most likely, in addressing key questions relating to ensuring their security and development in the region.
Of course, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are not standing alone with this aspiration. Brazil has taken the chairmanship of the association this year and its priority is numerical expansion of BRICS+, the wave that started in 2024 by Russia. More than 30 countries are the line, thereby hoping to facilitate their equitable participation in bloc’s unique activities, and have shown keen interest, which coincided with the entire Global South.
Perhaps, it is also the most crucial moment for Ghana, located on the coastal region and shares border with Burkina Faso whose military leader, Capt. Ibrahim Traoré was heartily applauded for attending the inauguration of the new President John Dramani Mahama on January 7th.
Burkina Faso, without International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, is transforming its agricultural sector to ensure food security. Traore is currently building educational and health facilities, and sports complex for his people. Burkina Faso, in practical terms, turned a new chapter in its political history.
In early January 2025, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) took over political power from the New Patriotic Party (NPP). The political transition is quite smooth and admirable. Ghana was ranked seventh in Africa out of 53 countries in the Ibrahim Index of African Governance.
The Ibrahim Index is a comprehensive measure of African government, based on variables which reflect the success with which governments deliver essential political goods to its citizens, and transfer power within the principles, rules and regulations stipulated in the constitution.
Ghana produces high-quality cocoa. It has huge mineral deposits including gold, diamonds and bauxites. Ghana is believed to have up to 5 billion barrels to 7 billion barrels of petroleum in reserves, which is the fifth-largest in Africa. Freshly-elected President John Dramani Mahama, has reiterated to unlock the untapped potential, creating a resilient and inclusive economic model that empowers citizens and ultimately attracts global investments.
A day after the inauguration, Ghana cuts size of government, to seek funds from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other multilateral institutions or organizations for its proposed development projects, and for resuscitating the over-looted and shabby economy.
Within the context of growing complexities of West Africa’s geopolitical changes, Ghana’s active involvement in BRICS+ will steadily enhance the dynamics of its traditional governance and extend that in region and across Africa. It would help to consolidate the principles in the multipolar world.
Outlining Ghana’s potential benefits
Preference should be given to the indelible fact that as Ghana currently took over from National Patriotic Party (NPP) and Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration, the government has an economic tasks to implement, aims at recovering from the previous gross mismanagement, therefore BRICS+ has doors to new multitude of evolving geopolitical dynamics and diverse economic partnership opportunities.
Closing related to this, Ghana is already the headquarter of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), it could forge appropriate collaboration in boosting further intra-BRICS trade and that of intra-Africa trade.
Egypt in the North, Ethiopia and Uganda in the East, and South Africa in southern African region, Nigeria and Ghana both located in West Africa, these put together paints an admirable African geographical representation in BRICS+, and an influential collective African voice on the international stage.
After studying the article report titled “Ghana Should Consider Joining the BRICS Organization” (Source: http://infobrics.org), the author Natogmah Issahaku, explained, in the first place, that Ghana’s relations with other external nations, particularly, those in the West, will not, and should not be affected by its BRICS membership.
According to the expert, Ghana needs infrastructural development and sustainable economic growth in order to raise the living standard of Ghanaians to middle-income status, which could be achieved through participation in BRICS. Similarly, Ghana has a lot to offer BRICS+ members such as export of finished and semi-finished industrial and agricultural products as well as minerals in a win-win partnership framework.
As an Applied Economist at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, Natogmah Issahaku emphasized the importance of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB), that considering its objectives, it could play supporting role, in terms of finance, for Ghana’s development agenda.
As BRICS development cooperation model is based on equality and fairness, Ghana needs to leverage good relations to optimize potential benefits, above all, to adapt to the fast-changing reality in the current global multi-polarity. Given the colossal scale of economic problems at hand, indeed a visionary President should take steps to lead Ghana into the BRICS fold, soonest, without hesitation.
Notwithstanding world-wide criticisms and some inherent organizational obstacles, BRICS+ countries are endowed with abundant natural resources, have advanced manufacturing and vast markets as well as technological advantages. It is often argued that BRICS has nourished Africa’s economic emergence and elevated the continent’s contemporary global positioning. It is important to look for more new investors.
Furthermore, BRICS+ is in the process of establishing new models of leadership and democracy to counter-balance western hegemony which have impoverished many countries in the southern hemisphere. BRICS+ is another avenue to leverage and explore for long-term investment possibilities, work with stakeholders but also go for unlimited distance in the entire world.
The Jubilee House administration could seriously consider uplifting the status into another platform. Ghana could continue integrating it into regional and international bodies, and solicit necessary support for transforming its multifaceted economy and other sectors. Amid a changing world, at least this step reflects one strategic approach to establishing unshakeable leverage with external partners.
These above-mentioned arguable factors sound generally attractive for advancing shared economic priorities in the developing countries including Ghana and for the matter Africa as whole in the Global South. Based on this, it is time to grab the emerging opportunity to drive increasingly high-quality cooperation, focus on hope rather than despair and step up broadly for a more constructive parameters in building beneficial relations into the future! Over to the new government of Hon. President John Mahama, the estimated 35 million people and the Republic of Ghana.
