President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Photo: Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images
South Africa said on Sunday it will push for the African Union to win a G20 seat when the leaders of the world’s major economies meet in Indonesia next week.
A spokesman for President Cyril Ramaphosa said South Africa would help present a framework for the continental group to officially join the club of rich nations.
“It is important that the collective voice of the continent is represented within that platform,” presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya told a news conference.
“It is our sincere hope that this proposal finds favor and is supported by the G20 member countries.”
South Africa is currently the only African member of the G20.
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Senegalese President Macky Sall, who heads the African Union, previously called for a review of international governance and urged greater African representation in bodies such as the UN Security Council and the G20.
In October, Sall said that multilateralism had to “serve the interests of all” or face “loss of legitimacy and authority.”
Both Sall and Ramaphosa will attend the G20 leaders’ summit on the Indonesian island of Bali next week.
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