President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for collaboration to address food and energy security in the world.
Ramaphosa told the G20 summit in India on Saturday that the global economy was struggling to recover and the world must respond to a number of challenges it is facing. .
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the African Union will join the G20. But conspicuous by their presence at the summit was the president of China, Xi Jinping, and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
But US leader Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and other world leaders attended the summit.
South Africa will host the G20 summit in 2025.
Ramaphosa said there was a need to collaborate in many fronts as the economy tries to recover.
“We continue to face an unsteady global economic recovery. As policy makers, we therefore need to be flexible and respond quickly and appropriately to risk. Multilateral cooperation is critical to addressing food and energy insecurity. As African countries, we support a discussion on policy options to address the effects of volatility in food and energy markets,” said Ramaphosa.
He also said there was a need to strengthen global health systems to deal with future pandemics.
The Covid-19 pandemic had forced the world to work together to find a vaccine.
The AU formally joined the G20 following months of heightened speculation that the continental body will be part of the group.
Modi was joined in the opening ceremony by AU chairperson Azali Assoumani. . Assoumani is also the president of Comoros.
Ramaphosa said he fully backs the decision that the AU must be part of the G20.
“South Africa is a member of the G20 and its participation seeks to provide a strategic foresight in establishing an economic and international policy platform that will drive and negotiate the best possible outcomes for the country, Africa and and the developing world,” said the presidency.
The issue of the AU becoming part of the G20 was also discussed during the BRICS summit in Johannesburg last month.
The BRICS bloc accepted six members during the first phase of the expansion. Argentina, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia will formally BRICS in January.
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