First G20 Summit in Africa Amplifies Voice of Global South
The G20 Summit (#G20Summit2025) took place in Johannesburg during the weekend from 22 to 23 November 2025. It marked the first time that Africa hosts the Summit, following the integration of the African Union as a permanent member, thanks to the Indian Presidency in 2023.
As South Africa took up the Presidency in 2025, it had the unique opportunity to direct the dialogue toward issues that are important to Africa and the #GlobalSouth. As such, South Africa set the theme of the Summit to focus on: ‘Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability.’ Unfortunately, the USA boycotted the Summit, citing ‘human rights violations’ and ‘differing perspectives’ on certain themes such as #ClimateChange. US President Trump even went on to say that South Africa should be expelled from the G20.
During his keynote address, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa laid down the key issues, including strengthening resilience in the face of global challenges, harnessing #CriticalMinerals via #LocalBeneficiation, mobilizing finance for the Just Energy Transition (#JET), and ensuring debt sustainability through reform of the Global Finance Architecture (#GFA). Ramaphosa also hailed the G20 as a platform for multilateralism, as opposed to unilateralism and ‘American exceptionalism.’
Despite the threat from the US to derail the process, the G20 leaders arrived at a consensus and issued a Joint Declaration. In the face of global challenges caused by pandemics, climate change, or others, more solidarity is needed — especially for Small Island Developing States (#SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (#LDC) — to better handle disasters and achieve greater resilience.
With regards to #ElectricityAccess, about half of Africans, or over 600 million people, are still not connected to the grid. Therefore, G20 proposed to triple renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030 in a bid to ease Electricity Access, while accelerating the #EnergyTransition.
The G20 endorsed a Critical Minerals Framework to promote a sustainable, transparent, stable, and resilient Critical Minerals Value Chains based on #industrialization and sustainable development. Through Local Value Addition (#LVA), mineral-rich countries should be able to reduce the trade imbalances and wealth inequalities caused by the mere export of raw minerals.
The US is set to take over the Presidency of the #G20 in 2026. President Trump indicated that the Summit might be held at his Palm Beach resort in Florida. It remains to be seen if all the items on the agenda put on the table by South Africa will be pursued by the United States of America. In 2026, France will also take over the Presidency of the #G7, and President Macron floated the idea of inviting Russia to foster dialogue on the Ukraine-Russia conflict.