The APC leader says Cabinet approval alone is not enough for a decision with long-term economic and diplomatic consequences for Ghana.
Ghana's move to join BRICS as a partner country has run into political pushback, with the leader of the All People's Congress (APC), Hassan Ayariga, insisting that Parliament and the wider public must have a say before the country signs anything binding.
In a statement issued in Accra on Saturday, October 17, 2026, Mr Ayariga argued that approval by Cabinet — the body of ministers chaired by the President — is not a sufficient basis for a decision of this size. His central point, as reported by The Ghana Report, is that sovereignty belongs to Ghanaians, and that the President and his ministers should not settle major national questions on their own.
What he is asking for
Mr Ayariga pointed to Article 75 of the 1992 Constitution. That provision deals with treaties, agreements and conventions signed by the President on Ghana's behalf, and requires them to be ratified by Parliament. His position is that the BRICS process should follow that route rather than stopping at the Cabinet table.
He also wants the government to publish a full policy document setting out what Ghana expects to gain, what it stands to lose, what the arrangement will cost, and what obligations the country would be taking on.
Beyond Parliament, he called for consultations with political parties, civil society organisations, economists and business associations before any commitment is made.
Not opposed to BRICS itself
Mr Ayariga was careful to say he is not against closer economic and diplomatic links with BRICS member states. His objection is to the process, which he says must be transparent and must satisfy constitutional requirements.
He added a warning that will be familiar to anyone who follows Ghana's foreign policy debates: that the country should not simply swap dependence on Western economies for dependence on another bloc. National interest, he said, has to come first.
The background
The debate follows an announcement by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, that Cabinet had approved Ghana's bid to join BRICS as a partner country.
BRICS began as a grouping of major emerging economies and has expanded its reach in recent years, with several countries seeking partner status rather than full membership. For Ghana, the attraction is usually framed in terms of trade, investment and access to alternative sources of financing.
Why it matters for Ghanaians abroad
For Ghanaians in the United States and elsewhere watching from a distance, the argument is less about BRICS and more about process: whether a major realignment in Ghana's foreign and economic relations gets debated openly in Parliament, with the costs and obligations spelt out, or is settled behind closed doors.
The government has not yet responded publicly to Mr Ayariga's demands. Whether the BRICS arrangement is eventually laid before Parliament will be the clearest test of the point he is raising.
