Nigeria has called for an urgent reform of global governance structures and international financial institutions to make them more representative, equitable and responsive to contemporary realities.
Vice President Kashim Shettima made the call on behalf of President Bola Tinubu on Sunday at the 2026 BRICS Leaders’ Summit in India.
Shettima said Nigeria supported reforms that would ensure global institutions reflected current economic and demographic realities.
“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.
The Vice President also called for a BRICS partnership that would move from dialogue to implementation and produce measurable development outcomes.
He urged BRICS countries to view Nigeria as a gateway to Africa’s expanding market under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“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,” he said.
Shettima identified Nigeria’s young population as one of its greatest assets, noting that its creativity and enterprise were driving the country’s innovation agenda.
He said Nigeria was investing in digital skills, entrepreneurship, research, artificial intelligence and technology-enabled businesses through initiatives such as 3MTT, Project BRIDGE and national AI programmes.
“We welcome deeper BRICS cooperation in artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure, fintech, telecommunications, cybersecurity, biotechnology and advanced manufacturing.
“Developing countries must produce technology, create knowledge and own intellectual property. A nation that owns no technology risks renting its future,” he said.
Shettima said Nigeria viewed cooperation with BRICS as an opportunity to promote trade, investment, technology transfer and human-capital development.
He also called for partnerships in infrastructure, connectivity, energy, agriculture, healthcare, education and industrialisation, supported by development finance.
“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.
He added that Nigeria’s partnerships with BRICS should create jobs, expand trade, transfer technology and strengthen 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,” Shettima said.
Earlier, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while opening the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit, said confidence in BRICS among Global South countries had grown because their voices were being heard and their experiences respected.
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.
He said initiatives such as BRICS CONNECT, the BRICS MSME Cooperation Portal and the BRICS Urban Mobility Hub were designed to promote skills, employment, enterprise development and knowledge-sharing among member and partner countries.
The Indian Prime Minister also stressed the need to balance development with environmental responsibility, saying sustainability must remain central to BRICS cooperation and the interests of future generations.
