JOHANNESBURG—South Africa successfully hosted the historic G20 Leaders’ Summit on November 22-23, 2025, marking the first time the premier global economic forum has convened on African soil. Under the theme “Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability,” President Cyril Ramaphosa used the platform of the G20 presidency to forcefully champion the interests of the Global South, declaring Africa’s economic needs to be central to any discussion of global progress.
Despite a complex geopolitical backdrop, including a notable boycott by the United States and the absence of several other major leaders, the summit culminated in the adoption of a joint declaration that reaffirmed multilateral cooperation and secured consensus on key African priorities.
Redefining the Global Agenda
President Ramaphosa’s government, which assumed the G20 Presidency in December 2024, successfully reframed the group’s agenda around four linked priorities that resonate deeply across the African continent:
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Debt Sustainability: Pushing for significant debt relief for developing and low-income nations, arguing that the current international financial architecture unfairly constrains growth in the developing world.
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Climate Financing: Demanding stronger commitments from developed nations to scale up climate finance from all sources to support a just energy transition and enhance disaster resilience in vulnerable countries.
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Global Inequality: Commissioning the first-ever G20 report on global inequality and advocating for reforms of international financial institutions, like the UN Security Council and development banks, to better represent the voices of the Global South.
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Critical Minerals: Leveraging Africa’s vast critical mineral resources for inclusive industrialization rather than just raw material export.
In his closing remarks, President Ramaphosa stated, “Today, we have adopted the Leaders’ Declaration… in which we outline the far-reaching actions on which we have agreed to build a better, more equal and sustainable world.”
Leadership Beyond the Global Stage
President Ramaphosa also demonstrated that global advocacy does not ignore domestic struggles. Just days before the summit, he classified gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) as a national disaster, leveraging the global spotlight to intensify shared national efforts to end what he termed a “pandemic.”
This bold domestic action, coinciding with the G20, proved that South Africa was prepared to tackle the struggles of its people while pushing for global reform, aligning its foreign policy of Pan-African clarity with domestic responsibility.
Securing Africa’s Permanent Seat
The Johannesburg Summit cemented Africa’s increased stature in global governance, following the African Union’s admission as a permanent G20 member during the previous year’s summit.
Even when faced with political friction and attempts by some external players to question South Africa’s worthiness of G20 membership, the nation stood firm. South Africa’s committed presidency ensured the production of a consensus declaration, proving that, as a founding G20 member, it will continue to engage “actively, constructively, and without apology.” The message from Johannesburg was clear: Africa is no longer just the focus of development discussions; it is now an indispensable voice shaping them.
