The African Union has formally taken its seat as a member of G20 at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Al Jazeera reported.
The leaders of the world’s wealthiest countries have gathered in India’s capital, New Delhi, for the G20 summit.
The African Union has advocated for full membership for seven years, spokesperson Ebba Kalondo said. Until now, South Africa was the bloc’s only G20 member.
The African Union’s entry into the G20 will provide a “propitious framework” for the continent to make “its effective contribution” in aiding the world to meet global challenges, AU Commission head Moussa Faki Mahamat has said.
“I welcome the African Union’s 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,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Permanent G20 membership signals the rise of a continent whose young population of 1.3 billion is set to double by 2050 and make up a quarter of the planet’s people.
SKH/PR