Nigeria and the BRICs: Diplomatic, Trade, Cultural and Military Relations
by Abiodun Alao
SAIIA Occasional Paper No 101, November 2011
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The increasing involvement of the emerging powers of Brazil, Russia, India and China, collectively called the BRICs, in Africa is a much-discussed topic. This is especially so in relation to key issues of how African governments have perceived this relationship, how the competitions between these emerging powers have played out on the continent, and how other local stakeholders on the continent have viewed the growing dominance of the BRICs in Africa's socio-economic activities. These issues have become more profound in countries that are also regional power blocks on the continent.
The paper explores the relationship between the BRICs and Nigeria, undoubtedly one of Africa's key countries and one that is also an aspiring member of the expanded BRICs. It considers the relationship in the areas of economic relations, diplomatic contacts, cultural and social dealings, and military collaborations. The paper also looks at the links between Nigeria and the BRICs on the crucial subject of oil, Nigeria's primary natural resource, and the complex politics that surround the exchange of oil for development. It concludes that despite the efforts to portray a smooth relationship between Nigeria and the BRICs, there have been areas of difficulties. Occasional hiccups still exist between Nigeria and the BRICs, and among the BRICs themselves in their bid to gain the upper hand in the Nigerian market. However, in the long term all parties are confident of the continuing development of mutually beneficial relations.
