- Positions Nigeria as gateway to Africa’s expanding market
By Chesa Chesa
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on BRICS countries to lead an urgent overhaul of global governance structures and international financial institutions to make them more representative, equitable and responsive to contemporary economic and demographic realities.
Tinubu made the call on Sunday at the ongoing 2026 BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India, in an address delivered on his behalf by Vice-President Kashim Shettima.
BRICS is an international economic grouping started by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, but now also includes Egypt, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.
The President said the transformation being championed by BRICS must extend to the international system, including reforms of the United Nations Security Council and the global financial architecture.
“Nigeria supports a more representative, equitable and responsive global governance architecture, including reform of the United Nations Security Council and the international financial system.
“BRICS amplifies the voice of the Global South and advances a more inclusive international order, consistent with Nigeria’s call for institutions that reflect contemporary economic and demographic realities,” he said.
Tinubu urged BRICS to move beyond declarations to practical outcomes, making a case for partnerships that deliver measurable development across member and partner countries.
According to him, Nigeria seeks “a BRICS partnership that moves from dialogue to delivery, from commitments to implementation, and from cooperation to measurable development outcomes.”
He also invited investors from BRICS countries and beyond to take advantage of Nigeria’s vast investment opportunities, describing the country as a strategic gateway to Africa’s expanding market under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The President said Nigeria’s concept of economic resilience centres on building an economy capable of absorbing global shocks while creating sustainable opportunities for its citizens.
He linked this objective to the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration, which, he said, is focused on strengthening macroeconomic stability, diversifying production, raising productivity, expanding infrastructure and human capital, attracting investment, promoting private-sector-led growth and deepening climate resilience.
“We welcome BRICS cooperation in trade, agriculture, food security, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, healthcare and critical minerals, especially partnerships that advance technology transfer, local value addition, industrial capacity and employment,” Tinubu said.
The President identified Nigeria’s youthful and dynamic population as one of the country’s greatest assets, noting that its creativity and enterprise are driving the nation’s innovation agenda.
He highlighted investments in digital skills, entrepreneurship, research, artificial intelligence and technology-enabled businesses through initiatives including 3MTT, Project BRIDGE and national AI programmes.
Tinubu called for stronger BRICS collaboration in emerging technologies, stressing the importance of developing countries becoming producers rather than consumers of technology.
“We welcome deeper BRICS cooperation in artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure, fintech, telecommunications, cybersecurity, biotechnology and advanced manufacturing, because developing countries must produce technology, create knowledge and own intellectual property.
“A nation that owns no technology risks renting its future,” he said.
He added that Nigeria viewed its engagement with BRICS as a practical avenue for expanding trade and investment, transferring technology and developing human capital, particularly in infrastructure, connectivity, energy, agriculture, healthcare, education and industrialisation.
“As Project BRIDGE expands broadband, fibre and digital public services, we seek an open, secure, and inclusive digital ecosystem that advances innovation, digital trade, responsible artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity,” he said.
On climate change, Tinubu said Nigeria’s sustainability model sought to balance climate action with the development aspirations of emerging economies.
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s support for affordable climate finance, technology transfer and capacity-building for Africa, while identifying renewable energy, gas, clean technologies, climate-smart agriculture, sustainable infrastructure and responsible critical-mineral development as areas for deeper cooperation.
The President said such collaboration should ensure that climate responsibility also contributes to economic growth, job creation and improved living standards.
He expressed Nigeria’s readiness to contribute to a BRICS partnership that is resilient enough to withstand global shocks, innovative enough to embrace emerging opportunities and sustainable enough to protect future generations.
“Our partnerships must create jobs, expand trade, transfer technology, and strengthen our nations’ productive capacity. We must build a future in which Africa moves from the margins of global development to the frontiers of global growth and innovation,” he said.
Earlier, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who opened the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit, said confidence in BRICS among countries of the Global South had grown because their voices were being heard, their experiences respected and solutions developed with them rather than for them.
Modi said the strength of BRICS lay in its diversity and cooperation, adding that the bloc was expanding participation beyond governments to entrepreneurs, farmers, researchers, women and young people.
“We may be rooted in different realities, but together, we rise through cooperation and blossom for humanity,” he said.
The Indian Prime Minister cited initiatives including BRICS CONNECT, the BRICS MSME Cooperation Portal and the BRICS Urban Mobility Hub as platforms designed to promote skills, employment, enterprise development and knowledge-sharing among member and partner countries.
He also stressed the need to balance economic development with environmental responsibility, saying sustainability must remain central to BRICS cooperation in the interest of future generations.
