More African countries are signing up to join BRICS, a consortium of nations comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. On Thursday, Zimbabwe’s foreign minister Amon Murwira, on a visit to Moscow, said Harare is submitting an application to join the group.
BRICS has been seeking to expand its membership to deepen economic ties. Last year, Egypt and Ethiopia, became two African states admitted into the group at a BRICS summit in the Russia city of Kazan. The others included Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In January, Brazil, which holds the bloc's presidency in 2025, said it has admitted Nigeria as a “partner country” in the multinational bloc of nations.
"As the 6th largest population in the world and the 1st on the African continent, as well as one of the largest economies in Africa, Nigeria has converging interests with the other members of the group," Brazil Foreign Ministry, known as Itamaraty, said in the statement.
