1 of 1 Lula watches Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Azali Assoumani, African Union President Photo: Ricardo Stuckert Lula watches Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Azali Assoumani, African Union President Photo: Ricardo Stuckert
The African Union has become a permanent member of the G20, which includes the world’s richest and most powerful countries, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced this Saturday (9) at the group’s summit in New Delhi.
The African Union (AU), a bloc of 55 member states, now has the same status as the European Union the only regional bloc with full members.
In his opening speech, Modi invited the African Union, represented by President Azali Assoumani, to take a seat as a permanent member at the table of G20 leaders.
“It is an honor to welcome the African Union as a permanent member of the G20 family. This will strengthen the G20 and also strengthen the voice of the Global South,” read a message on Modi’s official account on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter.
The change was proposed by Modi in June.
Other issues to be decided at the summit include more lending from multilateral institutions to developing countries, international debt reform, cryptocurrency regulations, and the impact of geopolitics on food and energy security.
The 38page draft circulated among members left the “geopolitical situation” paragraph blank reflecting deep divisions over the war in Ukraine.
Previously, the G20 consisted of 19 countries and the European Union (EU), whose members represent around 85% of global GDP, more than 75% of world trade and around twothirds of the world’s population.