IMAGE: The African Union’s new membership in the G20 is expected to push forward the interests and goals of the entire African continent.
The G20 has agreed to add the African Union regional bloc as a permanent member, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
On Saturday, Mr. Narendra Modi, who is India’s prime minister and this year’s host of the annual G20 summit, announced that the African bloc, a continental body of 55 member states, will be a permanent member of the G20.
The announcement puts an end to the African Union’s seven-year campaign to have the continent included in the G20, which serves as a powerful acknowledgment of the growing importance of Africa.
In Mr. Modi’s opening speech, he invited the chair of the African Union, Azali Assoumani, to take his seat as a permanent member of the G20.
And as the president of the G20, he said that the world should come together to transform the global trust deficit into one of trust and reliance,
“This is the time for all of us to move together… Be it the divide between North and South, the distance between East and West, the management of food and fuel, terrorism, cyber security, health, energy, or water security, we must find a solid solution to this for future generations.”
Narendra Modi
