Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has called on Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to fully brief Parliament on Ghana’s decision to formally apply for full membership of BRICS.
While Jinapor acknowledge that the committee had so far received only a general briefing on the government’s intention to join the bloc he called for a more detailed assessment of the implications of the decision for Ghana’s national interests.
He urged the government to consider whether full membership was the most appropriate option, pointing to the alternative of partner-country status, which he argued could allow the country to benefit from BRICS-related opportunities while limiting some of the geopolitical and economic risks associated with full membership.
Jinapor cited Nigeria as an example, noting that the country is a BRICS partner country and is also an accredited member of the New Development Bank, the financial institution established by BRICS which limits the risks full membership attracts.
“We ask ourselves the question also, why is it that we are not taking the path of Nigeria, which is a partner country of BRICS and not a full member of BRICS, and which is also an accredited member of the New Development Bank, which is a bank of BRICS, and therefore limiting its exposure and the risks relating to becoming a full member of BRICS,” he stated.
He also pointed to the three African countries that are currently full BRICS members, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Africa, and questioned why Ghana should opt for full membership when the vast majority of African countries have not joined the bloc.
Jinapor further cited Ethiopia as an example of what he described as the potential risks of BRICS membership, arguing that Addis Ababa’s trade balance had become “worse off” since joining the bloc.
However, available IMF data does not establish that Ethiopia’s overall trade deficit worsened because of its BRICS membership. Ethiopia’s trade deficit stood at about US$14.6 billion in 2023/24 and was projected at about US$12.7 billion in 2024/25, meaning the broader trade balance did not simply deteriorate after Ethiopia joined BRICS in January 2024.
Jinapor nevertheless said Ghana should carefully assess the potential economic and political implications of deeper relations with major BRICS countries, including China and Russia, before proceeding with the application.
His concerns come amid a wider debate over BRICS and its implications for the global economic and geopolitical order, particularly as the grouping is increasingly viewed as providing an alternative platform for emerging economies outside traditional Western-led institutions.
Ablakwa, however, has defended the government’s decision, saying BRICS membership would give Ghana additional options for development financing, trade, investment and economic cooperation while complementing rather than replacing the country’s existing relationships with traditional development partners.
“We are not going to walk away from our traditional partners who value that relationship, but we must have new friends,” Ablakwa said.
He argued that Ghana needed to diversify its international partnerships and avoid depending on a limited number of institutions and partners for its development needs.
“You do know that we are members of the IMF, we are members of the World Bank, and we are also founding members of the African multilateral financial institutions. But BRICS offers us that opportunity to have options in development, and you want to have options,” he said.
Ablakwa said the government’s approach was also intended to support Ghana’s economic transformation agenda, including job creation, industrialisation and greater value addition to the country’s natural resources.
He maintained that greater competition among international partners could work in Ghana’s interest and described the government’s approach as one anchored in national interest and freedom of choice in an evolving multipolar international system.
Jinapor is now urging the Foreign Affairs Minister to brief Parliament when the House resumes and set out the full details of the government’s position, including the geopolitical and trade implications of membership, its potential effect on Ghana’s standing in the international community and how the decision serves the national interest.
“We think the Foreign Minister ought Parliament to choose, or to brief Parliament as a matter of urgency, to set out the full details of this decision and the full contours of our relationship, our potential relationship with BRICS, and what the implications would be on our national economy, our national interest, and Ghana’s standing in the international community, given the decision that has been taken,” he stated.
BRICS began as BRIC, bringing together Brazil, Russia, India and China, before South Africa joined in 2011. The grouping has since expanded to 11 full members — Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates — and has become a platform for cooperation on economic, political and global governance issues.
The bloc also introduced a partner-country category in 2025, allowing countries such as Nigeria and Uganda to participate without becoming full members. Ghana’s proposed application therefore comes as BRICS continues to expand its membership and partnerships, with the government presenting the move as a way to widen Ghana’s economic and diplomatic options while maintaining its existing relationships with traditional partners.
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