Nigeria seeks to deepen partnerships at BRICS Summit

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By Salisu Sani-Idris

New Delhi (India), Nigeria is seeking to deepen partnerships at the 18th BRICS Summit holding from Sept. 12 to 13 in India, as Vice President Kashim Shettima, representing President BolaTinubu arrived on Friday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the summit is part of Nigeria’s efforts to deepen bilateral relations, expand trade and investment opportunities, and strengthen cooperation with member and partner countries.

The event is being held under the theme: “Building Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
Shettima is leading a high-level Nigerian delegation comprising the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole.
Others are the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani; the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, among others.
Speaking ahead of the summit, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Odumegwu-Ojukwu, said Nigeria would explore new partnerships and opportunities in agriculture, technology, artificial intelligence, trade, the digital economy and other critical sectors.
She said Nigeria also intended to draw lessons from India’s experience in deploying technology and artificial intelligence to create opportunities for its large youth population.
“India is firm in its expertise in agriculture and, of course, even in the digital economy.
“In fact, prior to this, we had a session dealing with women in the digital economy and artificial intelligence, and we are leveraging on India’s greatest strength, which is in the engagement of its youth population,” she said.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Oduwole, said the Tinubu administration was working to deepen Nigeria’s trade relationship with India, which had previously stood at about 14 billion dollars.
She disclosed that major investors of Indian origin had indicated interest in meeting the Nigerian delegation, adding that Nigeria also maintained important trade relationships with several BRICS countries.
“And so, deepening those relationships will further strengthen the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
“India used to buy Nigerian oil quite a lot, so we are looking at how to expand that with everything going on in the world,” she said.
NAN reports that Shettima will join leaders of BRICS member and partner countries, as well as invited international organisations, for high-level discussions on inclusive global growth, resilience, innovation and sustainable development.
The vice president will also participate in bilateral engagements aimed at advancing Nigeria’s economic and diplomatic interests, particularly in trade, investment, agriculture, technology, and industrial development.
Nigeria became a BRICS partner country in January 2025 and has since engaged the platform to strengthen South-South cooperation and broaden its relations with major emerging economies.
The Nigerian delegation will also participate in the BRICS open session and other activities scheduled on the sidelines of the summit.

BRICS is a grouping of major emerging economies that cooperate on economic, political, financial, development and diplomatic issues.

Its ​‌⁠​‍⁠‍⁠⁠‌‍⁠​‍‍⁠⁠⁠‌​membership comprises eleven major emerging markets and developing countries of the world: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and United Arab Emirates.

It is an important forum for countries of the Global South and advocates greater representation for developing countries in institutions such as the UN, IMF and World Bank.

Nigeria is not a full member but belongs to the “BRICS partner country” category, which includes Nigeria, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Uganda and Uzbekistan.(NAN)

Edited by Mark Longyen

 

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