NEW DELHI, India — Uganda’s Vice President Jessica Alupo joined world leaders for the official family photograph at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, representing President Yoweri Museveni at the high-level gathering.

Alupo was among leaders from BRICS member and partner countries, outreach invitees and heads of international organisations who participated in the symbolic group photograph during the summit.

The family photo brought together Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, African Union Chairperson Évariste Ndayishimiye, and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, among other leaders.

Alupo's participation underscored Uganda's growing engagement with the BRICS grouping, where the country holds Partner State status.

Uganda officially became a BRICS Partner State on January 1, 2025, becoming the first East African country to join the grouping in any capacity.

Uganda's BRICS Partnership

Partner State status is below full BRICS membership but provides participating countries with opportunities to engage in BRICS meetings, ministerial sessions, economic discussions and other areas of cooperation.

For Uganda, the partnership offers a platform to deepen economic and diplomatic relations with some of the world's major emerging economies.

Ugandan producers could potentially benefit from expanded access to large markets for commodities including coffee, tea and other agricultural products, while increased cooperation could also support investment in local value addition and processing.

The partnership is therefore being viewed as an opportunity for Uganda to move beyond the export of raw commodities and attract investment into industries that can create greater value domestically.

India's 2026 BRICS chairship is being guided by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” reflecting a people-centred and humanity-first approach articulated by Prime Minister Modi at the 2025 BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Uganda's presence at the New Delhi summit places the country within a broader conversation on trade, investment, development, technology, sustainability and reform of global governance.

For Kampala, the BRICS partnership also provides another diplomatic platform through which Uganda can pursue its economic interests while strengthening relations with emerging powers beyond its traditional partners.