President Bola Tinubu has called on BRICS nations to spearhead a fundamental overhaul of the global governance and international financial systems, arguing that the institutions shaping the world order must reflect today’s economic and demographic realities.
Tinubu made the call on Sunday at the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, India, where he also positioned Nigeria as a strategic gateway to Africa’s rapidly expanding market under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The President, whose address was delivered by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said the transformation being championed by BRICS would remain incomplete if the bloc did not extend its agenda to reforming global institutions.
“Nigeria supports a more representative, equitable and responsive global governance architecture, including reform of the United Nations Security Council and the international financial system,” he said.
According to a statement signed by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, President Tinubu argued that BRICS had become an important platform for amplifying the voice of the Global South and advancing a more inclusive international order.
“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,” Tinubu stated.
The President urged BRICS to move beyond declarations and establish partnerships capable of delivering measurable economic outcomes, calling for a shift “from dialogue to delivery, from commitments to implementation, and from cooperation to measurable development outcomes.”
Tinubu also used the summit to make a direct investment pitch for Nigeria, urging BRICS countries and their businesses to see the country not merely as a national market but as an entry point into the wider African market created by AfCFTA.
He said Nigeria was pursuing economic resilience through reforms designed to strengthen macroeconomic stability, diversify production, increase productivity, expand infrastructure and human capital, attract investment and promote private-sector-led growth.
“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.
But technology emerged as a major plank of Nigeria’s proposed BRICS partnership, with Tinubu warning developing countries against becoming permanent consumers of technologies created elsewhere.
He called for deeper cooperation in artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure, fintech, telecommunications, cybersecurity, biotechnology and advanced manufacturing.
“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,” the President said.
“A nation that owns no technology risks renting its future.”
Tinubu said Nigeria was particularly well placed to benefit from technology-driven partnerships because of its young and dynamic population, describing the creativity and enterprise of young Nigerians as a major driver of the country’s innovation agenda.
He cited digital skills, entrepreneurship, research, artificial intelligence and technology-enabled businesses as areas of focus under initiatives including 3MTT, Project BRIDGE and national AI programmes.
According to him, Nigeria wants BRICS cooperation to translate into infrastructure, trade, technology transfer and human-capital development, backed 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.
The President also sought stronger BRICS cooperation in infrastructure, connectivity, energy, agriculture, healthcare, education and industrialisation, with emphasis on partnerships that create jobs and strengthen domestic productive capacity.
On climate change, Tinubu called for affordable climate finance and technology transfer for African countries, arguing that climate action must be compatible with the development needs of emerging economies.
He identified renewable energy, gas, clean technologies, climate-smart agriculture, sustainable infrastructure and responsible critical-mineral development as areas where cooperation could drive both climate resilience and economic growth.
“Our partnerships must create jobs, expand trade, transfer technology, and strengthen our nations’ productive capacity,” Tinubu said.
“We must build a future in which Africa moves from the margins of global development to the frontiers of global growth and innovation.”
Earlier, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who opened the summit, said BRICS had gained greater confidence among countries of the Global South because their voices were being heard and their experiences respected.
Modi said the bloc’s strength lay in its diversity and cooperation, noting that its initiatives were increasingly extending beyond governments to entrepreneurs, farmers, researchers, women and young people.
He cited BRICS CONNECT, the BRICS MSME Cooperation Portal and the BRICS Urban Mobility Hub as initiatives aimed at promoting skills, employment, enterprise development and knowledge-sharing.
The Indian leader also stressed the importance of balancing economic development with environmental responsibility, saying sustainability must remain central to BRICS cooperation and the interests of future generations.
