G20 Summit: African Union officially joins G20

During the inaugural session of the two-day G20 Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that the African Union (AU) had been granted permanent membership in the Group of 20 largest economies (G20) worldwide.

As reported by PTI news agency, this announcement marked the AU’s accession as a new member of this prominent global organization.

Shortly after the announcement, Union of Comoros President and AU chairperson Azali Assoumani took the seat as a full member of the G20.

The African Union (AU) is a significant organization consisting of 55 member states, collectively representing the nations across the African continent. The announcement is a powerful acknowledgement of Africa seeking a more important role on the global stage.

Reuters reported that other issues being decided on at the summit include more loans to developing nations by multilateral institutions, reform of international debt architecture, regulations on cryptocurrency and the impact of geopolitics on food and energy security.

The 38-page draft which was circulated among members left the “geopolitical situation” paragraph blank — reflecting deep division over the war in Ukraine — but 75 other paragraphs indicated broad agreement on issues such as cryptocurrencies and reforms in multilateral development banks.

Hamda Mustafa