Ghana to Join BRICS, Foreign Affairs Minister Ablakwa Announces
- Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa indicated that Cabinet has approved Ghana's formal application to join BRICS
- Ablakwa shared this during Indian External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar's official visit to Ghana
- Ghana has already sought India's support with the BRICS application process, citing South-South cooperation as a key motivation
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Ghana is set to formally apply for membership of BRICS, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has announced, marking a significant shift in the country's approach to international partnerships.
Source: UGC
Ablakwa shared this during the official visit of India's External Affairs Minister, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, to Ghana.
He described the Cabinet decision under President John Dramani Mahama as a move to diversify Ghana's economic base and expand the country's ties with nations in the Global South.
"The major highlight, which I am disclosing to the Ghanaian people for the first time, is that the Cabinet of President John Dramani Mahama has decided that Ghana will be joining BRICS," Ablakwa said.
"We believe that joining India in BRICS will give us economic options, will diversify our base and our partnerships, and will also allow us to have more cooperation within the Global South framework, as far as South-South engagements are concerned."
The minister added that Ghana had already reached out to India for assistance with the application process and was optimistic about receiving its backing.
BRICS currently counts Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates among its core members.
The Facebook post below provides more details on Ghana's plans to join BRICS.
Ghana and India sign new agreements
Beyond the BRICS announcement, Ablakwa outlined plans for the two countries to deepen their bilateral relationship across a broad range of sectors, including railways, pharmaceuticals, information and communications technology, defence, and agriculture.
Ghana and India also signed two Memoranda of Understanding during the visit, covering agricultural research and training as well as science and technology.
Dr Jaishankar, for his part, said both nations share comparable development challenges and stand to gain from exchanging expertise and knowledge.
He drew parallels between Ghana's Accra Reset, Feed Ghana, and One Million Coders programmes and similar initiatives under way in India, suggesting the two countries have much common ground to build on.
The Indian minister also praised Ghana's role within the African Union and ECOWAS, and called for closer coordination between the two nations at the United Nations, including on the question of reforming the UN Security Council.
Source: Facebook
Ghana wins ICC arbitration against Tullow
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Ghana won a significant international tax arbitration case against Tullow Ghana Limited, with an International Chamber of Commerce Tribunal dismissing the oil producer's claims in full and upholding a tax assessment worth US$393,091,993.70.
The Tribunal, constituted under the ICC Rules of Arbitration, delivered its ruling on Tuesday, 29 September 2026.
The dispute arose from the Ghana Revenue Authority's assessment of taxes on business interruption insurance proceeds received by Tullow.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
