July 7, 2025 — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called for an urgent overhaul of the global governance architecture, as well as the financial and healthcare systems, to better reflect the needs and aspirations of low-income and emerging economies—particularly those in Africa.
Speaking at the ongoing 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Nigerian leader emphasized that existing global frameworks have disproportionately favoured wealthier nations while neglecting the unique challenges confronting developing countries.
President Tinubu stressed the importance of equity, fairness, and inclusive development in shaping a more balanced international order. According to him, “It is time to recalibrate the global governance structure to ensure that Africa and other emerging regions are no longer sidelined in matters of international decision-making, economic financing, and healthcare accessibility.”
He pointed out that the prevailing financial systems often impose unjust burdens on poorer nations, with stringent loan conditions and limited access to essential funding for development, infrastructure, and healthcare improvement.
Tinubu also underscored the critical need to strengthen global health equity, particularly in the wake of lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed the glaring disparity in healthcare access and vaccine distribution.
As a ‘Partner Country’ at the summit—a status that reflects closer ties with BRICS member states without full membership—Nigeria is positioning itself to play a more active role in reshaping multilateral engagements and promoting Africa-centric priorities on the world stage.
The President’s remarks have been welcomed by several African delegates and are expected to spark further conversations around reforming international systems to serve all nations more justly.
