Significant Milestone As African Union Gets G20 Membership

For seven years, the AU had advocated for full membership in the G20. Until now, South Africa was the bloc's only G20 member

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

BUEA, September 12, 2023 – After years of advocating for full membership in the G20, the group of the world's 20 leading economies, the African Union has been finally accepted as a member, signaling a change of how Africa will be represented at the world stage. Africa is central to discussions about climate change, food security, migration and other issues.

“Congratulations to all of Africa!” said Senegal President Macky Sall, the previous AU chair who helped to push for membership. The AU had advocated for full membership for seven years, spokesperson Ebba Kalondo said. Until now, South Africa was the bloc's only G20 member.

The African Union’s ascension as a permanent member is a powerful acknowledgement of Africa as its more than 50 countries seek a more important role on the global stage. A continent with 1.3 billion which is set to double by 2050 and dominated by the youths marks the first change since the conception of the G20 in 1999. Composed of 19 nations and the EU, Africa had only been marginally represented within the G20 through South Africa’s seat and AU permanent guest ship.

Launched in 2002, the AU is a grouping of 55 African nations representing about 1.4 billion people and around 10% of the world’s economy. With this admission, the AU becomes the second regional organization to join the G20, after the European Union. "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," AU Commission head Moussa Faki Mahamat wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

U.S. President Joe Biden last year called for the AU’s permanent membership in the G20, saying it’s been “a long time in coming.” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the current AU chair, Comoros President Azali Assoumani, with a hug on Saturday at the G20 summit his country hosted, saying he was “elated.”

"The idea is to bring more African voices to the table, instead of them being the recipients of decisions, norms and rules by countries and institutions that are far more advanced," said Sreeram Chaulia, a professor and dean of the Jindal School of International Affairs at India's O.P. Jindal Global University. "It will also help unify African countries if they have a voice through the African Union."

Granting the African Union membership in the G20 is a step that recognizes the continent as a global power in itself. With full G20 membership, the AU can represent a continent that's home to the world's largest free trade area. It's also enormously rich in the resources the world needs to combat climate change, which Africa contributes to the least but is affected by the most.

The African continent has 60% of the world’s renewable energy assets and more than 30% of the minerals key to renewable and low-carbon technologies. Congo alone has almost half of the world’s cobalt, a metal essential for lithium-ion batteries, according to a United Nations report on Africa's economic development released last month.