During the BRICS summit held in Kazan, Russia, from October 22 to 24, 2024, the alliance officially expanded by adding 13 new nations as partner countries, although not as full members. The theme of the 2024 summit was “Strengthening Multilateralism for Fair Global Development and Security.” The focus of the gathering was on improving economic integration with key emerging nations.
The announcement was made by BRICS, which stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, during the summit. The 13 new partner countries added to the alliance are Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Nigeria’s inclusion as a partner country in BRICS. Nigeria aims to become a full member within the next two years, leveraging its large economy and population.
BRICS aims to enhance trade, investment, development, security, and cooperation among leading emerging market economies. The organization has recently added Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates as full members, who participated in the 2024 summit as full participants.