Five Things to Know About Africa’s First G20

AFP/APP
Johannesburg: Leaders of the world’s largest economies will gather in Johannesburg on November 22–23 for the G20 summit — the first time the meeting is being held on African soil. The summit comes amid heightened global instability and escalating tensions between Pretoria and Washington.

1. First G20 on African Soil

Founded in 1999, the Group of 20 (G20) comprises 19 countries plus two regional blocs — the European Union and the African Union (AU).
South Africa is holding the rotating presidency for the first time, making this year’s summit the first-ever in Africa.
G20 members account for 85% of global GDP and around two-thirds of the world’s population.
South Africa is the only African nation in the group, although the AU was formally admitted in 2023.

2. Theme: “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability”

Pretoria has listed its priorities as:
Strengthening disaster resilience
Ensuring debt sustainability for low-income countries
Financing a just energy transition
Leveraging critical minerals for inclusive and sustainable growth
South Africa—ranked by the World Bank as the world’s most unequal country—commissioned a global expert panel led by Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz to examine wealth inequality.
The panel urged the creation of an intergovernmental body to address the global “inequality emergency” that leaves 2.3 billion people hungry.

3. US Boycott

President Donald Trump announced that no US officials will attend, calling South Africa’s presidency a “total disgrace”.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has repeatedly targeted Pretoria, including spreading debunked claims of a “white genocide” and imposing 30% tariffs—the highest in sub-Saharan Africa.
While the boycott poses a challenge, Pretoria dismissed the move as Washington’s “loss” and vowed to push ahead with its agenda.
Argentina’s President Javier Milei, a Trump ally, is also skipping the summit.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will again be absent.

4. Johannesburg in the Spotlight

The summit will take place at the Nasrec Expo Centre, South Africa’s largest purpose-built conference venue, located near Soweto, symbolising post-apartheid spatial integration.
The venue, adjacent to the stadium that hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup final, brings global attention to a city of six million that reflects stark contrasts:
Africa’s richest square mile
Crumbling infrastructure
Chronic service failures and mismanagement
President Cyril Ramaphosa has repeatedly criticised the city’s deterioration. In July, the African Development Bank approved a $139 million loan to help upgrade infrastructure.

5. End of the ‘Global South’ Run

South Africa will pass the G20 presidency to the United States, ending a sequence of Global South presidencies (Brazil, India, Indonesia, South Africa).
President Trump has signalled plans to shrink the platform, which has expanded far beyond its original financial focus. He has also questioned whether South Africa should “even be in the Gs any more”, raising concerns about the bloc’s future direction.