South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks as people attend the announcement of the election results at the National Results Operation Centre of the IEC, which serves as an operational hub where results of the national election are displayed, in Midrand, South Africa June 2, 2024.
South Africa wants its G-20 presidency this year to leave a lasting impression on Africa, signalling it will use the rotating position to push for solutions to the continent's problems.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday January 21 that he would seek common ground on Africa's major problems, including climate change, despite resistance from some in the G20.
Pretoria holds the rotating presidency of the G20 this year, leading the world's largest economies. It will be the first time Africa has hosted the G20, with the African Union set to become a member in 2023.
"With a comprehensive agenda focused on climate action, economic resilience and inclusive growth, South Africa's G20 presidency aims to leave a lasting legacy for the continent and beyond," Ramaphosa said on Tuesday at a session of this year's World Economic Forum in Davos.
"We will seek an agreement to increase the quality and quantity of climate finance flows to developing countries, as agreed at various UN climate summits," he said on the issue of tackling climate change and mobilising finance.
The African Union's membership of the group should represent Africa's diverse population, bringing on board the region with the youngest population as well as one of the most vulnerable to climate change.
This week, the South African leader said a wide range of issues would be prioritised, including a focus on advancing health and technology, strengthening Africa's economic prospects, green industrialisation and critical minerals, building resilience to disasters and tackling climate change, and mobilising finance.
But in the G20, which includes major economies such as the US and China, some issues aren't easy. The US, under President Donald Trump, announced this week that it is withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Paris Agreement on climate change, freeing itself from commitments to contribute and cooperate on global health problems and issues of financing climate change adaptation.
Such decisions, as well as the G20's divergent views on how to share the burden of climate change problems, mean that Africa may have to bear most of the burden and suffer most of the consequences.
In Davos, Ramaphosa called for solidarity, equality and sustainable development, the three themes that will be taken up at the upcoming G20 summit in Johannesburg at the end of November.
But the participation of all members is a matter of waiting and seeing. Within the G20, some countries, such as Russia, face sanctions from the US over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
These tensions are likely to spill over into the summit. Ramaphosa hopes that common problems will define a working relationship.
"As we confront the challenges of the 21st century - from climate change to pandemics, from poverty to terrorism, from migration to artificial intelligence (AI) - we are once again called upon to harness the most powerful and enduring of human attributes: mutually beneficial cooperation and collaboration," he said.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum's (WEF) annual meeting in Davos-Klosters, where global leaders gathered under the theme: Collaboration for the Intelligent Age, Ramaphosa underscored the importance of Africa's voice at the international forum of developing and developed countries seeking solutions to global economic and financial issues.
"Africa continues to be an expanding market for goods and services, with infrastructure driving growth and development," he said.
He explained that the Johannesburg Summit will not only address pressing global challenges, but also demonstrate Africa's readiness to play a central role in shaping the future of the global economy.
He sees the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which aims to promote regional integration and inclusive growth, as one area of cooperation with the outside world.
Launched in 2018, the AfCTA brings together most African Union member states under a single market with common rules. It is still being implemented, with countries developing rules and testing trade under it.
But if it works, it could increase intra-African trade from the current 15 per cent to 45 per cent by 2030.
That will require infrastructure to support that trade, and Ramaphosa believes it could provide opportunities for the outside world.
But such trade will depend on a stable and secure Africa, whose roads and skies are safe for the transport of goods and people.
