President John Dramani Mahama has revealed that Ghana’s decision to pursue partnership with the BRICS bloc was initiated under the administration of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

He maintained that the move reflects Ghana’s longstanding commitment to a non-aligned foreign policy and should not be viewed as a shift away from its established diplomatic principles.

The President made the clarification during a meet-the-press session at the Jubilee House on Thursday, November 5, 2026, where he traced the origins of the initiative to a ministerial committee established by the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.

According to Mahama, the committee recommended that Ghana seek partnership with BRICS, with the proposal subsequently submitted to Cabinet before his government took office.

“Let me also tell you, the ministerial committee that sat and recommended that Ghana should accede to BRICS partnership was under Nana Akufo-Addo,” he said.

“We came and met their recommendation. And so, we didn’t set up the ministerial committee. It was set up under the former NPP administration.”

He noted that his administration inherited the recommendation, reviewed its merits and eventually secured Cabinet approval.

“And so, the recommendation was submitted to Cabinet. And so, when we came, we met it. And so, Cabinet sat on it and said, it’s a good idea to be a BRICS partner. And so, we approved it,” he said.

Mahama’s remarks provide further clarity on the bipartisan origins of Ghana’s BRICS partnership initiative and the decision by his administration to proceed with it.

BRICS has emerged as an influential platform for economic cooperation and diplomatic engagement among some of the world’s major emerging economies.

With an expanding membership, growing calls for reform of global institutions, and deeper cooperation in trade, finance, and development, the bloc has become an important player in international affairs.

Originally formed around Brazil, Russia, India, and China, BRICS has expanded to include countries from Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Its growth reflects the ambitions of emerging economies to strengthen their collective influence in global decision-making and diversify their economic partnerships.