The Director-General of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), Mr Zane Dangor, who serves as South Africa’s G20 Sherpa, will host consultations on the G20 with his African Union Commission (AUC) counterpart, HE Ambassador Albert Muchanga, G20 Sherpa and Commissioner of Economy, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals (ETTIM). The meeting will take place on Thursday, 10 October 2024, in Pretoria.

It is expected that the two sides will exchange views on:

• Approaches to the G20 and identify areas of mutual cooperation on the draft outcomes of the Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• The envisaged priorities of South Africa’s G20 Presidency, which South Africa will assume on 1 December 2024
• Other possible areas of cooperation during South Africa’s G20 Presidency.

Director-General Dangor will be joined by senior officials from various government departments.

At the recent G20 High-Level Opening Session in New York, held on the margins of UNGA79, President Cyril Ramaphosa reiterated the timeliness and necessity of the G20’s “Call to Action on Global Governance Reform”, highlighting South Africa’s commitment to the revival and strengthening of multilateralism, and the reform of global governance institutions to make them more representative.

South Africa will assume the G20 Presidency from 1 December 2024.

South Africa’s Presidency of the G20 presents a unique opportunity to place Africa’s developmental priorities at the top of the agenda, as well as advocating for economies of the Global South Africa. It will enable South Africa to build on the efforts and successes of the Indonesian, Indian and Brazilian G20 Presidencies.

The G20 Summit held in India in September 2023 granted the AU permanent membership of the G20. Thus, the inclusion of the AU will allow African countries to own and influence decisions on key issues on the agenda of the G20.

South Africa has been the only African member of the G20 and advocating for the interests of Africa in the G20. The inclusion of the AU in this important forum will no doubt boost Africa’s voice.