The Brazilian Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that Nigeria has joined the BRICS group as a partner country.
The diplomatic grouping now has nine partner countries – Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda and Uzbekistan.
Located on the west coast of Africa, Nigeria has deep historical and cultural ties with Brazil and is Africa’s most populous country.
Nigeria is one of the 30 countries with the highest GDP and is rich in natural resources and minerals such as oil and natural gas.
Since the early 1970s, it has been a member of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which sets the value of oil on the international market.