Africa Union joins G20: ensuring African voices are heard and respected globally

The African Union made history on Saturday (9 September) when it became the 21st permanent member of the Group of 20 (G20) during the G20 Summit 2023 in New Delhi.
The move, of which India had been a staunch advocate, is widely seen as strengthening both the G20 and also the voice of the Global South.

“The African Union has been made a permanent member of the Group of 20 countries,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in opening remarks at the 18th G20 Leaders’ Summit, a culmination of India’s push to bring in the bloc of the African continent. In recent months, India has been making a strong pitch to work together with Africa to build more robust, diverse, and resilient supply chains, redefine the parameters of engagement and explore newer sectors for cooperation. The induction of AU in the G20 comes amidst implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, which complemented with the strong transportation and logistics networks, will help boost bilateral trade flows between the two sides.

Experts highlight several advantages that the African Union has gained as a member of the G20 that can propel the continent’s interests and actively shape global agendas. According to Heritier Bahizi, a Rwandan journalist, most important among these newly gained benefits are elevated representation on the global stage, ensuring African voices are heard and respected in international decision-making processes; influence on global governance, including climate change, trade agreements, or security matters; and opportunity to leverage the G20 platform to foster economic cooperation, attract investments, and explore opportunities for trade expansion with major global players. Bahizi lists global investment, trade agreements, financial assistance, global security, climate change mitigation, technological advancements, and global collaboration to be among the other key benefits of G20 membership.