In a significant development, the African Union’s aspiration to join the G20 received approval from existing member nations during a summit held in India on Friday.

During the G20 summit, which was hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a notable proposal emerged. Modi passionately advocated for the pan-African organization to assume a permanent membership status within the international forum.

His rationale behind this proposal was rooted in the belief that it is imperative for developing nations to exert more influence in the global decision-making process.

The proposal garnered support from Washington, and just recently, on Friday, the European Union expressed its endorsement of the initiative.

“I look forward to welcoming the AU as a permanent member of the G20”, European Council president Charles Michel told reporters in New Delhi, where the two-day G20 summit begins on Saturday.

The Group of 20 major economies currently consists of 19 countries and the European Union, making up about 85 per cent of global GDP and two-thirds of the world population.

However, South Africa is currently the only member of the continent.

AU’s Role in the Global Economy

The African Union, headquartered in Ethiopia, emerged in 2002 as the successor to the Organisation of African Unity, which had been disbanded.

Currently, it has 55 members, but six junta-ruled nations are currently suspended. Collectively it has a GDP of $3trillion with some 1.4 billion people.

At the summit, Vinay Kwatra, India’s top diplomat in foreign service, shared the hope that a decision concerning AU membership would emerge during the Saturday morning summit, resulting in mutual growth in economic development among members.