Nigeria Hosts BRICS Women’s Business Alliance Regional Office -By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh

With the geopolitical architecture simultaneously widening and deepening, BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) has also stepped up its operations these past few years, culminating with significant expansion in numerical strength, in October 2024, during the 16th summit held in Kazan, capital of autonomous Republic of Tatarstan. The Federal Republic of Nigeria joined BRICS as a partner state. The other partner states are Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

Nigeria’s inclusion as a partner aligns with previous statements in November 2023 by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar that there exists plethora of possibilities to join BRICS association as a full member within the next two years, leveraging its large economy and population. As one of the countries embodied with frontiers for oil and gas exploration, dynamic economy and rising population, Nigeria remains very attractive and emerging as a strong center for holding large-scale BRICS activities. Today, it stands beyond as the convergence venue for spearheading these activities. In late September 2025, Nigeria was chosen to host BRICS women’s business alliance regional office.

The Russian chapter of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance, following intensive debates and broad discussions, accepted to open a regional office in Nigeria as part of strategic efforts to strengthen economic cooperation and boost women-led entrepreneurship across the BRICS and African regions. The collective decision was during a two-day working visit by a five-member Russian delegation, headed by Chairperson of the BRICS Russia WBA, Anna Nesterova. The team also held a closed-door meeting with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, at the State House.

BRICS Women’s Business Alliance visits Abuja
On 29-30, September 2025, the delegation from the Russian Chapter of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance visits Abuja. The program of the visit included a meeting with Oluremi Tinubu, the First Lady of Nigeria, as well as a number of meetings with government and business circles of Nigeria.

The Russian delegation, headed by Anna Nesterova, Chairperson of the Russian Chapter of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance, included representatives of the pharmaceutical and educational sectors, personnel recruitment, as well as the innovation sector – HealthTech.

On September 29, as part of the BRICS WBA visit to Nigeria, the Russian delegation met with Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Honourable Minister of Women’s Affairs of Nigeria. Ms. Anna Nesterova, head of the delegation, expounded on the Alliance’s activities and international initiatives. The Honorable Minister emphasized the importance of the projects presented and expressed support for establishing a BRICS WBA regional office in Nigeria to promote further cooperation with the country’s entrepreneurs.

On September 30, Senator Oluremi Tinubu CON, First Lady of Nigeria held a meeting with the Russian Chapter of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance. The members of the delegation presented the activities and projects of the Alliance. Ms. Anna Nesterova, Chairperson of the BRICS WBA Russia Chapter, emphasized that Russian companies are interested in interacting with Nigerian entrepreneurs. First Lady Oluremi Tinubu called Nigeria, the best ally of the BRICS countries, and promised support for initiatives that empower women’s entrepreneurship, noting the enormous potential for partnership development.

Proceedings and Discussions
Nesterova revealed that the visit aimed to introduce the alliance’s objectives and explore business opportunities in key sectors, including technology, healthcare, education, agriculture, and labour mobility. “This was our first meeting here in Nigeria. We introduced ourselves and expressed our readiness to open a regional office in the country. We need to be smart about this new region for our business needs. Nigeria is a promising market, and we see great potential in working with local partners,” Nesterova said.

She emphasized that the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance is an independent business-focused initiative under the broader BRICS umbrella, with each national chapter expected to deliver practical results. The ultimate goal of the Women’s Business Alliance is not just meetings, but action. It’s a separate body, and every member of each national chapter reports on the results of what we did.

“That is why it is very important for us to be here and to start the process of opening the regional office of Women Business Alliance in Nigeria. It is our mission to develop your country,” she stressed. Earlier during the visit, Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to deepening bilateral relations with Russia through women-led economic engagement.

The minister noted that the meeting was timely and opens a new chapter for strategic cooperation between countries, adding that the platform aligns closely with the priorities of President Bola Tinubu’s administration—inclusive growth, youth empowerment, and global partnerships, according to the minister said.

She praised the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for supporting the initiative, describing her as an excellent example of the transformative power of women in shaping societies and building bridges across nations. The minister also commended Nesterova’s decision to bring the alliance to Nigeria, noting that it reflects a shared vision of inclusive economic growth.

A statement from the minister’s media aide, Magnus Eze, highlighted areas of potential collaboration, including agriculture, energy, digital innovation, and education. “The technical session before us offers an invaluable opportunity to explore areas of strategic cooperation. With Nigeria’s vast market, natural resources, and youthful population, combined with Russia’s technological expertise, we can build win-win partnerships,” according to the statement.

It further noted that women entrepreneurs and leaders would play a central role in ensuring the sustainability and inclusiveness of such partnerships. “This gathering is more than symbolic. It must result in actionable outcomes—identifying cooperation frameworks, establishing joint ventures, and building networks between Nigerian and Russian women entrepreneurs. We are ready to work closely with our Russian counterparts and the broader BRICS platform to promote inclusive prosperity,” the minister said.

BRICS WBA’s Activities and Directions
– Promotion of women’s entrepreneurship and unleashing of leadership
– Increasing the participation of women in the BRICS countries’ economies
– Ensuring the expansion of women’s business networks in the BRICS countries
– Inclusion of women’s businesses in global value chains
– Deepening B2B cooperation among women-entrepreneurs
– Creating multilateral projects

BRICS Women’s Business Alliance
The initiative of establishing the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance was proposed by Russia at the First International Women’s Congress of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the BRICS member states on July 4, 2017. In 2018, the initiative to create the Alliance was included in the 10th BRICS Summit Johannesburg Declaration. In 2019, at the BRICS Summit Brasilia Declaration, the leaders welcomed the establishment of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance.

The Russian initiative to create WBA was supported by China at the BRICS Business Council Meeting, also it was mentioned by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his article in anticipation of the BRICS summit. Presentation and subsequent support for the creation of the Alliance at the Second Eurasian Women’s Forum. Thereafter, in the framework of the Russia’s BRICS Chairship, the inaugural meeting of the BRICS WBA took place on July 20, 2020.

In conclusion, it is significant to note that BRICS, originally an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, and China, expanded in 2010 to include South Africa. The group has since added Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates as full members in 2024.
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