The G20 summit in Johannesburg from November 22-23, will be the first on African soil since the grouping began in 2008 at the head-of-state/government level. Over these years, the G20 has played an influential role in reaching consensus on global economic challenges, but its task has become increasingly complex as severe geopolitical turbulence has hit the world, deeply affected by the war in Ukraine and multiple conflicts in West Asia.
This first African presidency is significant for several reasons: the continent accounts for 18% of the world’s population and contributes 2.5% of global GDP. And in 2023, the African Union was formally made a member, ensuring that the G20 is broad based in its effort to craft solutions to the development challenges faced by Africa and the Global South.
The Johannesburg Summit will be the final of the 133 G20 meetings hosted by South Africa during its presidency year. The African philosophy of Ubuntu -‘I am because we are’ – has driven the presidency, the “timeless truth that resonates with the global commitment to Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals, especially the call to Leave No One Behind,” said South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Co-operation Ronald O Lamola at the media briefing on November 17.
Under the theme of “Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability”, South Africa pursued four priorities: disaster resilience and response; debt sustainability for low-income countries; finance for a just energy solution; and critical minerals for inclusive growth and sustainable development. The presence of the AU as a full member of G20 in these dialogues has been especially helpful, and in its mission, South Africa chose to work closely with other African nations and institutions. For example, the G20 presidency held a successful dialogue on Debt Sustainability at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa in November, stressing the importance of domestic resource mobilisation and shifting the conversation from short-term fixes to long-term solutions. In Cairo, the presidency convened the Outreach meeting on Food Security and in Abuja, on Industrialisation.
A novel endeavour by South Africa was to launch a new 10-year Compact with Africa (CwA), co-chaired by South Africa and Germany, with the goal of securing elevated inclusive growth, industrialisation, employment, and reduced inequality in the African continent. Germany has been making efforts with Africa for years now; it initiated a compact with Africa in 2017 without much success. But this time, the inclusion of the AU in the G20 may lead to some achievements.
Two significant initiatives are worth noting. One, the G20 Africa Expert Panel, chaired by former South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, has finalised its strategic advice to the G20 by presenting practical strategies that could advance Africa’s collective developmental interests. Its report is about to be released.
Two, the report by the G20 Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts on Global Inequality, led by economist Joseph E. Stiglitz, is now available. It states that nationally, 83% of countries have high income inequality but it is wealth inequality that is far higher and more chronic. “Globally between 2000 and 2024, the richest 1% captured 41% of all new wealth, in contrast to just 1% being captured by the bottom half of humanity,” says the report. Among its recommendations is the establishment of an International Panel on Inequality (IPI) modelled on the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), with the mandate to support governments and multilateral agencies across the G20 countries; developed countries also face wealth inequality now. This has to be accepted – or ignored – at the G20 Summit, and will be revelatory about the current human conditions.
On the road to the Johannesburg summit, several ministerial meetings played a significant role. The yearning for a functional world with multilateral reform was evident. The second G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting, held in New York on September 25, called for renewed collective commitment to the UN and multilateralism, and strengthening of the global trading system, “with the World Trade Organisation at its core.” There was a strong affirmation that the African continent’s time had come to occupy its rightful place in shaping the future of the world economy.
Equally important and core to the G20’s original mission of keeping financial stability was the fourth meeting of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, held in Washington DC on October 16. The resilience of the global economy during the first half of 2025 was commendable, despite continued uncertainty and challenges. A significant outcome was the Ministerial Declaration on Debt Sustainability, to which the G20 governments further committed themselves, and put out a series of tangible measures like supporting efforts made low- and middle-income countries to address debt vulnerabilities in an effective, comprehensive and systematic manner.
A milestone at the Johannesburg summit will be the report of the G20@20 Review Advisory Panel, composed of former G20 Sherpas and experts. This will review the G20’s work over the past 17 years and assess the path ahead to the G20’s 20th anniversary. It is significant because the G20 in 2026 will be led by the U.S., the host country of the first G20 summit in 2008.
In the end, two aspects – one negative, one positive – should be understood.
The difference in global views has meant that the 2026 President of the G20 has been largely absent as a troika member of the South African G20. It will not attend the Johannesburg Summit either – a cause for concern, especially as the presidency will shortly pass on to Washington, on December 1, 2025. How South Africa and the U.S., given their tense bilateral relations, manage the transfer of the presidency, and how the U.S. tackles the G20 agenda now loaded in favour of Africa and the Global South, are issues shrouded in uncertainty.
On the other hand, the consecutive presidencies of Indonesia, India, Brazil, and South Africa have indeed consolidated and expanded the G20 agenda, making it more globally representative of countries and their agendas, especially the concerns of developing countries. It is now incumbent on select developing countries to serve as a bridge between the North and the South. The four past G20 presidencies fit the bill. Inviting Indonesia into the minilateral grouping of IBSA (India, Brazil, and South Africa), at its informal leaders’ meeting in Johannesburg on the sidelines of the G20 summit, will create and build exactly that strong and necessary bridge between the North and the South.
Rajiv Bhatia is the Distinguished Fellow for Foreign Policy Studies and a former ambassador.
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