South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will speak to the media on the subject, and announced during the recent G20 Leaders Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that they will take advantage of the opportunity to include the development priorities of Africa and the Global South.

South Africa is the first African country to occupy this position at the head of the 20 main economies worldwide. According to Ramaphosa, they will seek to provide strategic direction to establish a more equitable, representative, and adequate international order, in line with the main multilateral processes of the UN.

The president added that the South African Presidency will promote three priorities: inclusive economic growth, industrialization, employment and inequality; food security; and artificial intelligence and innovation for sustainable development. “As South Africa, we are committed to advancing the work of the G20 to achieve greater global economic growth and sustainable development. We will work to ensure that no one is left behind,” the president stressed during the meeting in Brazil.

Ramaphosa spoke of the current challenges and crises, which are exacerbated by the fragility of global solidarity, crippling underdevelopment, and deepening inequality, adding that through partnerships across society and rekindling common humanity, “South Africa will seek to harness global collective energy to meet these challenges.”

“We will work to address inequality, which is a major threat to global economic growth and stability,” the president stressed, adding that these disparities are exposed in the lack of predictable and sustainable financing and capacity building for climate action; as well as in the crippling debt that stifles many countries.

“There will be around 130 G20 meetings taking place across our country, and I am honored to welcome all of you to South Africa for the coming year,” Ramaphosa said.

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