Why Ghana formally apply to join BRICS – Wetin dem stand to gain?

Ghana foreign affairs ministry announce say di kontri don apply to bicom member of BRICS.

According to di minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, "President John Mahama cabinet bin decide say Ghana go join BRICS."

E make di announcement for one joint press conference wit India foreign minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, wey visit di West Africa kontri.

"Di govment believe say BRICS dey offer ogbonge opportunity wey dey align wit di president vision of economic growth."

BRICS bring togeda eleven major emerging markets and developing countries of di world, wey include Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and United Arab Emirates.

E serve as useful platform for consultation and cooperation on contemporary issues plus issues of global political and economic governance.

Di name na BRIC sake of Brazil, Russia, India and China bifor oda kontris like South Africa join dem.

BRICS dey serve as platform for dis countries to consult, coordinate and cooperate on contemporary issues of global significance wey don dey affect dia various regions.

Ghana foreign minister say "to anchor di president im vision, we believe say we gatz diversify our international cooperation."

"Afta dis cabinet decision, we go take baby steps to formally apply and to hope say dem go accept us."

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa say im dey hopeful to get di support from di BRICS members sake of Ghana bin get good relations wit di founding members togeda wit UAE, Saudi Arabia and Iran.

"All dis countries get missions for hia, we know say we fit count on dia support for Ghana."

If Ghana dey successful wit dia application, dem go join 11 oda kontris wey currently dey part of di intergovmental organisation, since dem formalise am for 2006 for di sidelines of di UN General Assembly.

List of kontris wey dey part of BRICS

Three years afta dem formalise am, dem organise di first BRICS summit for Yekaterinburg for Russia for 2009.

Afta dat summit wia dem begin to expand di group.

For 2010, dem gree to add South Africa to di group wey di rainbow kontri attend dia first summit for Sanya – China, wey now turn BRIC to become BRICS.

Dem don later expand for 2024 to add oda kontris.

For 2025, 10 more kontris bin join as BRICS partner kontris.

India don take ova as chair of BRICS for 2026, dis be di fourth time dem don dey chair di group – 2012, 2016 and 2021.

Why BRICS dey significant and wetin Ghana go benefit

Even though dem be only 11 members wit 10 partner kontris, BRICS na ogbonge group.

Togeda, di BRICS kontris don dey reach 49.5% of di population of di world.

Dem also dey represent 40% of di global GDP and 26% global trade.

BRICS don expand dia initial focus for economic issues to oda areas.

Dem now dey cooperate for areas like polities and security, economy and finance togeda wit Cultural and people exchange.

Dem dey work togeda for areas like fighting against terrorism, climate change, food and energy security among odas.

Di oda areas of focus include telecommunication, agriculture, labour and employment as well as trade.

"Already Ghana and India bin trade among diaserf; e don increase from $3bn for 2024 to $7bn currently, as China also dey remain major economic player for Ghana," Ghana foreign minister Ablakwa explain.

Im add say "dis na important partner, BRICS go give us di opportunity to transform dis economy. We want sustainable economic growth wey go create jobs to industrialise our kontri."

"We want resource sovereignty wia dem go treat us as equal partners, no be situation where we go continue to dey export raw materials, na so we gatz work wit partners wit di same shared history and commitment."

Ghana dey likely to benefit from foreign direct investment by attracting targeted investment from dis major emerging economies.

Di kontri also fit get access to oda funding from BRICWS-backed institutions like di New Development Bank wey bin dey provide funding options aside di IMF and oda Western lenders.

For di area of industrialisation and technology transfer, China and India na strong kontris for technology and pharmaceuticals na so dem fit support domestic industrial growth.

Wetin be di criteria and standards for BRICS kontris

To qualify as member to apply and join BRICS, di kontri:

Di BRICS chair go now spread di communication of di interested kontri to di existing member states.

Di reps of BRICS member kontris go now consider di new request na so BRICS Foreign ministers go consider di recommendation.

Dis foreign ministers go consider di new member state and recommend to di BRICS leaders for consideration.

BRICS leaders go now decide on di membership expansion afta full consultation and consensus.

Dis prospective BRICS member kontri now become invited member when di BRICS chair don announce di consensus of di leaders about di kontri wey wan become members.

Di chair of BRICS go later inform di invited member kontri of di decision of di leaders wey dem go ask dem to appoint a rep.

Finally di invited kontri dey become BRICS member state when dia leader or foreign minister formally accept di invitation for BRICS membership.