Informal conversations have started amongst the ranks of government to explore the feasibility of Ghana joining the BRICS economic bloc.

The traditional economic alliance of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa which accounts for over 40% of the world population says it is on an outreach programme to accommodate more emerging economies, especially in Africa.

Nana Akufo-Addo became the first Ghanaian President to join over 40 other Heads of State to attend the 15^th BRICS Summit raising concerns as to whether or not the country is turning its back on the foreign policy of positive neutrality which saw the country in the past not aligning to any of the world’s superpowers.

JoyNews is learning that that global economic trends have instigated conversations for President Akufo-Addo’s government to explore if Ghana will follow the likes of its West African sister country Nigeria which recently applied to join BRICS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoD_euY7MbQ

Speculations are rife that the factor that may push Ghana to join BRICS is China which controls over a third of the country’s external debt amounting to some $1.7 billion.

Speaking exclusively to JoyNews’s Blessed Sogah on the sidelines of the summit held in Johannesburg South Africa, Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa Charles Owiredu says the decision to join or not will be informed by national interest.

He noted “It’s beyond doubt that BRICS is now a force to reckon with. If you look at the countries it started with, four, Today we’ve been told that they met and have accepted 6 more [Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE],” he said.

“The combined GDP is now 30 percent of Global GDP within these 11 countries so they are a force to reckon with.”

When asked if Ghana was considering making a formal application to join the Economic Bloc, Mr Owiredu intimated “We’ve been discussing amongst ourselves when the president came.”

“There’s been some discussions that we started looking at some opportunities that exist within as BRICS, you know already they do have the development bank that countries have started accessing credit and it is helping a lot of countries to develop” while adding The president has started looking at it but “a decision has not been taken yet.”

The High Commissioner however dispelled suggestions that Ghana is being lured by the posture of other West African countries such as Nigeria which have formally applied to join BRICS adding that whatever eventual decision the president will make will be guided by the sole needs of the Ghanaian people.