Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written to his counterparts among the Group of 20 (G20) members, calling for the African Union to be given full membership of the grouping at its September summit in New Delhi. If accepted, the move will effectively make the group of 20 largest economies G21, sources said on June 17.
PM Modi’s proposal was made in line with a request from the Union, which is made up of 55 countries of the African continent, aimed at enhancing Africa’s voice “on the international stage and in shaping the future of our shared world.”
The G20 was founded in 1999 after the Asian financial crisis. In addition to 19 countries, it has the European Union as a member. The African Union’s membership of G20 will be a “right step towards a just, fair, more inclusive and representative global architecture and governance,” said the sources.
A strong believer in having a greater voice for the countries of the Global South on international platforms, PM Modi has focused on incorporating the priorities of the African countries in G20’s agenda under India’s presidency. Under his leadership, earlier this year, India hosted the Voice of Global South Summit to establish the priorities and concerns of the developing countries so that they could be incorporated into the G20 agenda.
