The G20 Summit in Buenos Aires

The G20 is an international forum for the governments and central bank governors from 19 countries of the world’s largest economies and the European Union Commission. The only African member is South Africa but among those attending the Summit in Argentina were President Paul Kagame of Rwanda in his capacity as Chair of the African Union Assembly as well as President Macky Sall of Senegal, Chair of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee, and Dr. Tedros Adhanom, the Director-General of the World Health Organization.This year’s summit was held under the theme ‘Building Consensus for Fair and Sustainable Development, and Africa featured in terms of increasing its levels of engagement with the G20, strengthening G20’s commitments to Africa’s Agenda 2063, and stronger integration of African economies in the global economy. Investment in Africa has been at the forefront of the development dialogue since the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa in 2015, but African economies need the firm and explicit support of the G20. Last year’s German Presidency laid a solid foundation with its ‘Compact with Africa’ but it is important that commitment remains strong and momentum is maintained.

President Kagame, who called for the inclusion of the African Union Commission as a permanent member of the G20, and for increased participation by Africa in the global development sector in order to harness the full potential of the continent’s opportunities, told the Summit: “Africa is the reservoir of global economic opportunity in the coming decades. We have the fastest-growing cities, the most youthful population, and many of the highest-growth economies”. “To take full advantage,” President Kagame said, “Africa needs to increase its participation in global value chains, ensuring of course that our people receive their rightful share of the benefits. Africa therefore looks forward to working more closely with partners in the G20 to reinforce the pillars of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, alongside the Sustainable Development Goals. In that context, I would like to put forward the idea that a standing role for the African Union Commission in the G20 configuration would strengthen coordination in important ways, including on international financial governance”.

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed in a statement last week also reiterated Africa’s common position in support of the major agendas of the G20 summit. In a statement issued on Wednesday, he noted Africa’s bright future extended beyond the continent, stressing: “Africa needs to take the extent and quality of its cooperation to deepen global partnerships.” Reiterating Africa’s readiness to work with G20 member countries, the Prime Minister referred to the Compact with Africa and said the G20 “will play a significant role in accelerating our continental development objectives and move us beyond the focus on unemployment and migration towards a New Horizon of Hope.” The aims of the Compact include working to increase attractiveness of private investment through substantial improvements in the macro, business and financing frameworks. The Compact, issued under the German presidency of the G20 last year, is a demand-driven initiative open to all African countries and has so far been joined by 11 African countries, including Ethiopia. Dr. Abiy said “We see the Compact with Africa as a unique opportunity for supporting targeted FDI from G20 countries and beyond. We are looking forward to attracting more investment through this platform and our commitment to collaborate with G20 remains very strong.”

The Summit agendas focused on the future of work, infrastructure, gender, and a sustainable food future, and the G20 leaders, with the exception of the US, reaffirmed their commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement. Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders from the BRICS group, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, called for open international trade and a strengthening of the World Trade Organization.