Modi Invites Tinubu to 2026 BRICS Summit in New Delhi as India Deepens Ties with Nigeria

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to attend the 2026 BRICS Leaders’ Summit scheduled to take place in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. The invitation signals India’s interest in strengthening Nigeria’s participation in the emerging global economic and diplomatic bloc.

The invitation was disclosed by India’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Abhishek Singh, during a media briefing in Abuja on Wednesday. Singh said the Indian government was hopeful that Tinubu would personally attend the summit and lead a high-powered Nigerian delegation to the meeting.

According to the envoy, Nigeria’s participation is considered important because of the country’s economic and demographic weight in Africa and its growing relevance in discussions involving emerging economies and the Global South. The invitation therefore places Nigeria in a potentially influential position as BRICS expands its engagement beyond its core membership.

Nigeria is not a full BRICS member but became a BRICS partner country in January 2025. The current BRICS membership comprises Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, while Nigeria is among the bloc’s partner countries.

India is holding the BRICS chairmanship in 2026 and has been hosting a series of meetings and activities ahead of the leaders’ summit. The country’s chairmanship is centred on the theme of building resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability, reflecting the bloc’s expanding agenda across economic, political, security and people-to-people issues.

Singh’s disclosure comes against the backdrop of increasingly robust relations between Nigeria and India. The two countries have continued to explore cooperation in areas including trade, investment, defence, energy, healthcare, agriculture and technology. Recent figures cited by the Indian envoy put bilateral trade at about $9 billion during the 2025–26 financial year.

The planned summit could consequently provide another platform for Abuja and New Delhi to discuss opportunities for expanding economic relations. It could also give Nigeria an avenue to engage directly with leaders of major emerging economies on issues ranging from trade and investment to development financing and reform of international institutions.

For Nigeria, participation in the BRICS summit would also reinforce its diplomatic strategy of maintaining strong relationships with a broad range of global partners. As a major African economy and one of the continent’s most populous countries, Nigeria has sought greater influence in international economic and political discussions while pursuing opportunities for investment and development.

India’s decision to invite Tinubu also follows earlier high-level engagements between the two countries. During Modi’s 2024 visit to Nigeria, both governments signed agreements covering cultural exchange, customs cooperation and geological survey cooperation, while discussions also touched on broader areas of bilateral collaboration.

With the September summit approaching, attention will now turn to whether President Tinubu accepts the invitation and attends the New Delhi gathering. If he does, his participation could provide Nigeria with an important opportunity to strengthen its BRICS partnership, deepen relations with India and engage other major economies on issues of strategic importance to the country and the wider African continent.