The BRICS economic coalition of emerging countries extended its membership to six new nations on Thursday.
OsunDailyNG reports the six new members of the coalition are Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The South African President and current BRICS chair, Cyril Ramaphosa, had taken to the micro-blogging platform, X, formerly Twitter, to announce the development in a published speech.
He said the new nations will be formally admitted as members on January 1, 2024.
At the ongoing summit in Johannesburg, the BRICS chairman said the coalition comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa has unanimously approved the new members.
Ramaphosa said, “BRICS has embarked on a new chapter in its effort to build a world that is fair, a world that is just, a world that is also inclusive and prosperous.”
However, CNBC disclosed that 23 countries formally applied for BRICS membership, including the six Ramaphosa said were approved.
Other major African players like Nigeria and Ghana have expressed informal interest.
According to Reuters, China’s President Xi Jinping on Thursday at the ongoing summit said the expansion is a “new starting point for BRICs cooperation.
“It will bring new vigour to the BRICS cooperation mechanism, further strengthening a force for world peace and development.”
Reacting to the development, United Arab Emirates (UAE) President, Mohammed bin Zayed, expressed appreciation for his country’s inclusion.
Zayed had taken to X to announce the development, saying, “We respect the vision of the BRICS leadership and appreciate the inclusion of the UAE as a member to this important group. We look forward to a continued commitment of cooperation for the prosperity, dignity, and benefit of all nations and people around the world.”
