Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has called for an urgent overhaul of global governance structures and international financial institutions to make them more representative, equitable and responsive to contemporary economic and demographic realities.
He made the call at the 2026 BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India, in an address delivered on his behalf by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
President Tinubu said Nigeria supported reforms that would strengthen the representation of developing countries in global decision-making and make international institutions more responsive to the realities of the present world.
READ ALSO: VP Shettima Arrives in India for BRICS Summit
PRESIDENT TINUBU’S SPEECH AT THE 18TH BRICS SUMMIT IN NEW DELHI, INDIA DELIVERED BY VP SHETTIMA. pic.twitter.com/UMPfVELKZ0
— Presidency Nigeria (@NGRPresident) September 13, 2026
“Nigeria supports a more representative, equitable and responsive global governance architecture, including reform of the United Nations Security Council and the international financial system.
“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,” he stated.
The President urged BRICS to move beyond dialogue towards practical outcomes that would deliver measurable development across member and partner countries.
Accordingly, he made Nigeria’s case for “A BRICS partnership that moves from dialogue to delivery, from commitments to implementation, and from cooperation to measurable development outcomes.”
Investment
President Tinubu invited foreign investors to take advantage of Nigeria’s investment opportunities, urging them to view the country “as a gateway to Africa’s expanding market under the African Continental Free Trade Area.”
He described economic resilience for Nigeria as the development of an economy capable of withstanding global shocks while creating sustainable opportunities for its citizens.
The President noted that this was embedded in his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda through reforms aimed at strengthening macroeconomic stability, diversifying production, raising productivity, expanding infrastructure and human capital, attracting investment, promoting private-sector-led growth and deepening climate resilience.
“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,” the Nigerian Leader stated.
President Tinubu identified Nigeria’s young and dynamic population as one of the country’s greatest assets, saying its creativity and enterprise were driving the nation’s innovation agenda.
He outlined key areas of investment to include digital skills, entrepreneurship, research, artificial intelligence and technology-enabled businesses through initiatives such as 3MTT, Project BRIDGE and national AI programmes.
“Nigeria sees cooperation with BRICS as a practical opportunity for trade, investment, technology transfer, and human-capital development. We support partnerships in infrastructure, connectivity, energy, agriculture, healthcare, education, and industrialisation, 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,” the President explained.
Noting that Nigeria’s sustainability model balanced climate action with the development aspirations of emerging economies, President Tinubu reaffirmed the country’s support for affordable climate finance, technology transfer and capacity-building for Africa.
He also emphasised cooperation in renewable energy, gas, clean technologies, climate-smart agriculture, sustainable infrastructure and responsible critical-mineral development to ensure that climate responsibility contributed to broader economic growth.
The President expressed Nigeria’s readiness to contribute to a BRICS partnership that was resilient enough to withstand global shocks, innovative enough to embrace the future, cooperative enough to advance shared prosperity and sustainable enough to protect future generations.
Earlier, while opening the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said confidence in BRICS among countries of the Global South had grown because their voices were being heard, their experiences respected and solutions developed with them rather than for them.
Modi said the strength of BRICS lay in its diversity and cooperation, noting that the bloc was also expanding participation beyond governments to entrepreneurs, farmers, researchers, women and young people.
“We may be rooted in different realities, but together, we rise through cooperation and blossom for humanity,” he said.
He explained that initiatives such as BRICS CONNECT, the BRICS MSME Cooperation Portal and the BRICS Urban Mobility Hub were designed to promote skills, employment, enterprise development and knowledge-sharing among member and partner countries.
The Indian Prime Minister also stressed the need to balance development with environmental responsibility, saying sustainability must remain central to BRICS cooperation and the interests of future generations.
