According to the country's chairmanship, Nigeria has been welcomed as a "partner country" of the BRICS group, which Brazil leads. BRICS was initially formed in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China with South Africa joining in 2010, aiming to counterbalance the Group of Seven (G7) industrialised nations.

In the past year, BRICS expanded by admitting Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has also been invited to become a member. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have formally applied for membership, with several other nations expressing interest.

Nigeria now joins Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda and Uzbekistan as the ninth partner countries of BRICS.

“With the world’s sixth-largest population — and Africa’s largest — as well as being one of the continent’s major economies, Nigeria shares convergent interests with other members of BRICS,” the Brazilian government said in a statement on Friday.

“It plays an active role in strengthening South-South cooperation and reforming global governance — issues that are top priorities during Brazil’s current presidency.”

Last year, President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose 100% tariffs on BRICS nations if they took steps to undermine the U.S. dollar. Despite this, the bloc’s leaders have reiterated their commitment to establishing an alternative payment system that would not rely on the dollar.

"Nigeria is the sixth most populous country in the world and the largest in Africa, as well as one of the largest economies on the continent. It shares common interests with other BRICS members," the BRICS report conveyed.

The designation of a partner country allows for regular involvement in special sessions of BRICS summits and foreign ministers' meetings. Partners can also be invited to participate in other ministerial-level events, such as trade discussions, meetings of national security representatives, and the forum for parliamentarians. Additionally, partners can be included in the final documents of BRICS discussions.