Ghana’s plans to deepen its relationship with BRICS will not resolve the country’s economic difficulties without a clear industrial strategy, International Relations Analyst and Development Consultant Dr Elvis Botah has warned.
The debate follows Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa’s clarification that Ghana is seeking BRICS partner-country status, rather than immediate full membership.
The government believes closer ties with the group could create opportunities in trade, investment and alternative development financing. However, Dr Botah said membership by itself would do little to address Ghana’s structural economic weaknesses.
“Joining BRICS at this time adds nothing much to Ghana, in my considered opinion. From all that we know, the problem of Ghana is simply an economic problem,” he stated.
He said Ghana should avoid treating the initiative solely as a diplomatic objective and instead secure practical economic benefits through a detailed plan for industrial development.
“One thing government must be mindful of is that if we must proceed, we should enter BRICS with an industrial strategy, not just as another diplomatic ambition,” he cautioned.
Dr Botah also warned that Ghana’s reliance on exporting raw materials could leave it at a disadvantage when negotiating with the industrial powers within BRICS, including China, India, Brazil and Russia.
“Now, Ghana automatically becomes an underdog in this kind of relationship. So, what do you go to the table with? What is our negotiation strategy? And what are our major points of negotiation?” he questioned.
He urged the government to place greater emphasis on processing cocoa, gold and other mineral resources within Ghana, alongside technology transfer and investment in industry.
Without those measures, he said, Ghana risked becoming primarily a market for products manufactured by more industrialised BRICS economies.
Dr Botah called for the government to set specific, measurable economic objectives for the next five to ten years. He said Ghana’s capacity to gain from its relationship with BRICS would ultimately depend on the strength of its domestic economic strategy, rather than on membership alone.
