The G20, has agreed to grant permanent membership to the African Union (AU) ahead of 2023 summit in India, Bloomberg reported.
This grants African Union the same status as the European Union within the G20.
The group at present comprises 19 countries and the European Union. The countries are – Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK and the US.
African Union’s inclusion in the G20 is expected to be announced during the weekends with formalization expected during next year’s summit in Brazil.
African Union with 55 member states, is currently recognized as an “invited international organization” within the G20.
This year, G20 invited nine non-member countries, including Bangladesh, Singapore, Spain, and Nigeria, as well as international organisations like the United Nations, World Health Organization, the World Bank, and the IMF on the 9 and 10 September Summit.
Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had written a letter to the G20 nations in which he proposed that the African Union be given full, permanent membership of the bloc at the upcoming summit in New Delhi.
Other countries such as Germany, Brazil, and Canada have also expressed their support for African Union membership to the G20.
The African Union, encompasses the entire African continent, representing approximately 18% of the world’s population and 20% of the global land area.
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.
