BRICS expands to include Nigeria as a Partner State

Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.

On the 17th of January, Brazil, the current chair-state of BRICS, announced the formal admission of Nigeria as a partner country of the expanding economic bloc. Nigeria officially became the ninth state to join the bloc’s partnership program, bringing the total number of countries involved to 19 (10 member states and 9 partner states).

With the recent inclusion of Indonesia as a full member state, the group consists of approximately 3.3 billion people (over 40% of the world’s population) and roughly 37.3% of the world’s total GDP. If we include partner countries, adding in Africa’s newcomer, then the BRICS sphere of influence covers almost half of the world’s population.

Nigeria is the fourth African nation to be admitted into the group, joining member-states South Africa and Egypt alongside fellow partner-state Uganda. The country boasts the largest population on the African continent (over 232 million) and is also one of the continent’s leading economies; thus, it’s admission into BRICS is no small deal.

This decision was welcomed by China, snugly slotting in with the group’s “like-minded” ideals.

But what’s in it for Nigeria? What does it mean to be a partner state?

And what does this ultimately spell for the current global order?

Share of the world’s GDP, population, oil production, and exports that fall under the BRICS bloc. Graphic taken from the World Economic Forum.

BRICS partner countries

Partner states, not being full member states, are essentially observers who fall under a category of prospective member states. The initiative was set in motion during the 16th BRICS Summit to prevent future infighting, counterbalancing any political tensions that might arise within the group. This response was due, in part, to Western critics who have been sceptical of the bloc’s internal cohesiveness.

Once a partner state has been ordained as trust-worthy, and any divisions smoothed over thereof, they can become a full member state. So, think of it as a sort of purgatory before fully joining BRICS, a test so to speak.

Needless to say, partner states still receive economic benefits and support from the group — like a buddy system, only on a far larger scale.

Nigeria’s future in BRICS

According to Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the move had been long in the making and was expecting to open new avenues for economic growth and global influence.

Oil, gas, agriculture, and manufacturing — thanks to recent investments by China — are key areas where economic growth is likely to be bolstered.

Moreover, the country will have greater access to important technologies, specifically renewable energy sources (such as solar power), and an improved digital infrastructure in partnership with South Africa.

International investments are also expected to see an influx-surge, simultaneously boosting industry and providing more jobs to Nigeria’s massive untapped labour force.

“This partnership also aligns with our national aspirations for inclusive growth, regional integration, and active participation in shaping a fair and equitable global economic order in line with our ethos of strategic autonomy.” — Kimiebi Ebienfa, Acting Spokesperson of Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

And whilst many countries still remain at odds with the BRICS bloc as a whole, Nigeria’s populous has responded with a net positive attitude (36%) towards the move. Many believe it will usher in a new era of economic stimulation for the country. So, despite the challenges that remain — particularly when it comes to balancing relations with Western powers — the general, regional reception has been favourable. This, no doubt, will set a strong precedent for sub-Saharan Africa’s economic and political future within the global arena.

The continually shifting global order

One of the more ambitious initiatives of the BRICS bloc has been to commit to producing an alternative payment system that does not rely on the US dollar. Notably, this would undermine the hegemony of the US dollar and the SWIFT payment system that has, for the better part of the last century, dominated global financial institutions.

As one can imagine, this has sparked some fearmongering from Western states. Not only that, but certain powers have, in the past, also been angered — namely, President-elect (and now President of the United States) Donald Trump, who threatened BRICS countries with 100% tariffs as a consequence to ditching the dollar.

Now, whether or not the new Trump administration carries out these threats remains to be seen; but the whole situation does present Nigeria’s latest move as being particularly risky and, for the lack of a better word, ballsy.

Interestingly, I do think this marks a general shift in the current world order as the political and economic climate becomes increasingly more polarised between West and East, North and South. Nigeria’s admission into BRICS in the face of such threats shows a willingness amongst African countries, in particular, to take their economic and political futures into their own hands. The developing world is starting to see a greater sense of agency than was previously seen under a hegemonic, US-led world order; and this, I believe, is indicative of the formation of a healthy global community.

Nigeria’s partnership also, and perhaps more vitally, speaks volumes to the greater co-operation and collaboration taking place within the global south. As the first-world countries amidst the global north experience decelerating population growth, the African continent continues to see a boom; and whilst there are many problems to be addressed in Africa, it’s obvious that, within the next few decades, the continent will experience exponential development levels, perhaps even similar to those seen in China during the early 2000s.

BRICS is important in this sense; the bloc can be a force for much-needed empowerment for the developing world. Countries are slowly being given a choice of where to stick their flag in the global arena. The road has finally come to a fork, and instead of being forced down a single lane, there is more room for flexibility and diverse collaboration. It is imperative that countries be allowed to grasp the future with their own hands, to forge their own economic and political roadmaps, to have the right to their own home, identity, and ultimately sovereignty.

Africa is starting to make a move.

Developing countries are starting to make a move.

And the world will be eagerly watching.