The G-20 and Development: Ensuring Greater African Participation

This policy briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the limited participation of African nations in the G-20. While South Africa is the only permanent African member, the document argues that the current ad hoc invitation of the African Union (AU) and NEPAD representatives is insufficient for a coordinated continental voice. It proposes establishing a coordinating secretariat within the AU Commission to prepare common African positions and suggests leveraging lessons from previous successes in aid effectiveness and BRICS outreach to improve Africa's influence on global economic governance.

• South Africa is the sole permanent African member of the G-20, despite no longer being the continent's largest economy, a position now held by Nigeria. While the G-20 invites the chair of the African Union (AU) and a representative of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), their involvement is largely restricted to attending summits rather than participating in the preparatory 'sherpa' and finance tracks.
• The G-20 agenda contains several issues critical to African development, including infrastructure financing, regional integration, remittances, tax reform, and domestic resource mobilisation. There is a potential for the G-20 to support the AU's Agenda 2063, although the document notes that G-20 commitments do not always align with African priorities, such as industrialisation and increased productivity.
• Current African participation in the G-20 is hindered by the high rotation of AU and NEPAD representatives and the informal nature of their observer status. This lack of a formal, long-term mechanism forces South Africa into a dual role where it must represent both its own national interests and a broader African voice without an official mandate to do so.
• The document identifies the 2011 Busan Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness as a successful model for African coordination. In that instance, extensive consultations involving the AU Commission, NEPAD Agency, UNECA, and civil society resulted in a 'consensus position' that allowed the continent to present a coordinated front and influence final outcomes.
• The 2013 BRICS Summit in Durban serves as another positive example of outreach, where South Africa shared the BRICS agenda with other African countries and learned about their specific interests, such as infrastructure development. This informal mechanism helped align South Africa's BRICS membership with its role as an African nation.
• To increase Africa's voice, the authors recommend that the AU Commission be mandated to operate as a coordinating secretariat. This unit would be responsible for collecting information on G-20 agenda items, preparing clear African positions, coordinating delegations, and monitoring the implementation of G-20 commitments relevant to Africa.

APA

Nnadozie, E., & Makokera, C. G. (2014). The G-20 and Development: Ensuring Greater African Participation. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Policy-Briefing-117.pdf

Chicago

Nnadozie, Emmanuel, and Catherine Grant Makokera. The G-20 and Development: Ensuring Greater African Participation. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2014. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Policy-Briefing-117.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Nnadozie |first1=Emmanuel |last2=Makokera |first2=Catherine Grant |title=The G-20 and Development: Ensuring Greater African Participation |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=November 2014 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Policy-Briefing-117.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{nnadozie2014g20, author = {Nnadozie, Emmanuel and Makokera, Catherine Grant}, title = {{The G-20 and Development: Ensuring Greater African Participation}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2014}, month = nov, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Policy-Briefing-117.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }