The African Union Commission’s chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has praised the African Union’s admission to the G20, saying it will assist the continent in facing global concerns.
According to The Times, after the African Union was given permanent membership status in the G20, the chair of the AU Commission announced this via his X (previously Twitter) account.
He tweeted, “I welcome the @AfricanUnion entry into the #G20 as a full member. This membership, for which we have long been advocating, will provide a propitious framework for amplifying advocacy in favour of the Continent and its effective contribution to meeting global challenges.”
While speaking during the Summit, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria said, “As a continent, we eagerly anticipate using the G20 forum to further our goals on the world arena.
The President of the European Union Commission, Ursula Von De Leyen, responded to the AU’s participation in the G20 by saying, “The EU and Africa are partnering to solve the objectives of the continent. securing the tools to combat climate change, ensuring food security, and luring investments.
“I congratulate @_AfricanUnion on becoming a full member of the G20. Strong African voices will benefit the G20 in significant ways.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa expressed his happiness at the G20’s acceptance of the AU’s membership and urged for an “enhanced and expanded Global Partnership” to address the plethora of issues the continent is currently facing.
During the opening session of the mammoth Summit on Saturday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared the African Union, which has 55 countries, as a permanent member of the G20.
In his speech, PM Modi stressed that India has suggested that the African Union be given permanent membership in the G20, “In keeping with the concept of “sabka saath” (with everyone). I think everyone agrees with this suggestion.”
He said, “I extend an invitation to the President of the African Union to assume their position as a permanent member before we start our work.”
The current African Union chairman and the president of the Comoros, Azali Assoumani, were escorted to their seats as the announcement was made by India’s external affairs minister, S. Jaishankar.
It is important to note that the member countries of the African Union have a combined GDP of around USD 3 trillion and a population of roughly 1.4 billion.
