President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged a comprehensive reevaluation of the current global governance structure, as well as the world’s financial and healthcare systems, stressing the need for greater equity, inclusion, and justice for low-income and emerging economies, particularly those in Africa.
Speaking at the 17th BRICS Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday, July 6, 2025, President Tinubu emphasised that global issues such as environmental degradation, the climate crisis, and deep-seated healthcare inequalities are slowing development and must be addressed through collaborative and fair strategies.
Invited by Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Tinubu represented Nigeria at the annual gathering of the Global South and emerging economies bloc, where he voiced strong support for BRICS’ push toward inclusive and collective global development.
“Nigeria, therefore, associates with what I have heard today and all that has happened in BRICS. The next issues are financial restructuring and reevaluation of the global structure,” the President said.
The summit marks Nigeria’s first participation as an official BRICS partner country, following its admission into the group in January 2025 alongside Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan. The partner-country category was introduced at the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan in 2024.
Highlighting Africa’s disproportionate burden in the face of global environmental challenges, Tinubu stated, “Africa has contributed the least to global emissions but suffers the most.” He called for a “new path of justice” rooted in fairness, sustainable technology transfer, and accessible financing for developing nations to benefit meaningfully from global initiatives.
He also referenced the African Carbon Market Initiative and the Great Green Wall project as key regional responses to climate change, expressing optimism that COP-30 would further galvanise support for a sustainable global environment.
On Nigeria’s domestic front, President Tinubu outlined the country’s commitment to the 2050 long-term vision and its nationally determined contributions. He said Nigeria is taking bold steps to accelerate renewable energy adoption, mainstream climate action, promote nature-based solutions, strengthen urban resilience, champion South-South cooperation, align with the global renewal framework, and achieve universal health coverage.
“Nigeria strongly believes in South-South cooperation. We can, therefore, not be passive participants in global decision-making on financial restructuring, debt forgiveness, climate change, environmental issues, and healthcare,” Tinubu asserted.
He also flagged the growing threat of non-communicable diseases and urged BRICS to evolve into not just an economic bloc but a symbol of solidarity and innovation that delivers lasting, people-centred solutions.
“As we approach COP-30 and look to strengthen the global health system, we believe the BRICS must not only be a bloc for emerging economies but also a beacon for emerging solutions and resolutions rooted in solidarity, self-reliance, sustainability, and shared prosperity of a common future,” he said.
The President was accompanied to the summit by Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Mr Wale Edun, Minister of Finance.
Brazil, which currently holds the rotating presidency of BRICS, formally announced Nigeria’s admission as a partner country on January 17, 2025. As Africa’s most populous nation and one of the continent’s leading economies, Nigeria is seen as a key player in driving South-South cooperation and pushing for reforms in global governance—two of Brazil’s priority areas during its presidency.
Melissa Enoch
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