Africa: The African Union is officially a permanent member of the G20

The African Union has become a permanent member of the G20. The President of the African Union, Azali Assoumani, took part in the G20 summit, which opened in New Delhi, as a permanent member. The official spokesman for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi, announced that «the African Union has become a permanent member of the G20. A key outcome of the summit».

The G20 officially integrated the African Union on Saturday, a strong signal for Africa and a diplomatic victory for India, which has established itself as a leader of the countries of the South.

The summit declaration was adopted, but it does not contain a call to move away from polluting fossil fuels in the long term.

The integration of the African Union is one of the first concrete announcements to come out of this weekend’s meeting in New Delhi of the leaders of this club of the world’s largest economies, along with a major infrastructure project in the Middle East for which an agreement is due to be signed on the sidelines of the G20.

«This accession, for which we have mobilised ourselves, will provide a favourable framework for amplifying the advocacy in favour of the continent and for its effective contribution to meeting global challenges», welcomed the Chairman of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat.

The African Union’s entry into the G20 will give a voice and visibility to Africa, today’s fastest-growing continent, and enable it to assert its interests and points of view within the body.

Pedro Okalamara