G20 Entry Will Allow African Union to Respond to ‘Global Challenges’: Top AU Official – News18

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Last Updated: September 09, 2023, 15:16 IST

PM Narendra Modi, right, interacts with African Union Chairman and President of the Union of the Comoros Azali Assoumani upon his arrival at Bharat Mandapam convention centre for the G20 Summit in New Delhi, Saturday. (Reuters)

African Union’s full membership in the G20 enhances the continent’s global influence in addressing major challenges, says AU Commission head

Africa’s representation in the G20 was hailed by African Union (AU) Commission head Moussa Faki Mahamat on Saturday as a “propitious framework” for the continent to actively contribute to addressing global challenges.

“I welcome the African Union’s entry into the G20 as full member. This membership, for which we have long been advocating, will provide a propitious framework for amplifying advocacy in favor of the Continent and its effective contribution to meeting global challenges,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

I welcome the @_AfricanUnion‘s entry into the #G20 as full member.This membership, for which we have long been advocating, will provide a propitious framework for amplifying advocacy in favor of the Continent and its effective contribution to meeting global challenges.— Moussa Faki Mahamat (@AUC_MoussaFaki) September 9, 2023

The AU at full strength has 55 members but six junta-ruled nations are currently suspended. Collectively, it has a GDP of USD 3 trillion with around 1.4 billion people. As the G20, the grouping included 19 countries and the European Union, representing 85 percent of the world GDP, with South Africa its only member state from the continent.

“As a continent, we look forward to further advancing our aspirations on the global stage using the G20 platform,” Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is at the summit, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The G20 was conceived in the throes of the 2008 financial crisis as a way to manage the global economy. The AU membership could be among the most tangible outcomes from the summit, with India trying to forge consensus on a host of contentious issues and key G20 members differing on the Ukraine conflict and climate change.