South Africa’s G20 Presidency Draws Attention to the “Neglected Continent”

Johannesburg – Sudanhorizon – Agencies

South Africa assumed the rotating presidency of G20 on December 1st. President Cyril Ramaphosa stated today (Tuesday) that South Africa will use its G20 presidency to bring the priorities of the “neglected continent” to the forefront of the global economic forum’s agenda.
It is the first time an African country has held the G20 presidency. South Africa will host the G20 summit next November before handing over the presidency to its successor, the United States.
In a press conference on Tuesday, President Ramaphosa described this moment as a great opportunity to firmly place the development priorities of the African continent, and more broadly, the Global South, on the G20 agenda. He emphasized that he wanted this presidency to have an “African flavour” in terms of the issues that would be discussed.
The G20 members represent 85% of the world’s GDP. The president noted that, until the African Union joined in 2023, South Africa had been “the only African voice for a very long time.”
Observers believe that the continent is poised to achieve the largest growth story in the coming years, with its population set to grow rapidly. As such, South Africa’s priorities during its presidency will focus on strengthening resilience to climate change, mobilizing funding for the transition to more environmentally friendly energy, and addressing unsustainable debt levels that hinder low-income countries, most of which are in Africa.
Additionally, the G20 could be instrumental in advocating for using the continent’s rich reserves of critical minerals as a driver for growth and sustainable development.