Inside Politics Reporter
President Cyril Ramaphosa told African leaders on Friday night that the continent must prioritise peace alongside economic development.
Speaking at a working dinner of African heads of state and government prior to the start of the G20 Leaders’ Summit on Saturday, the President also told his peers that the G20 was an opportunity to push for fairer global finance, stronger African influence in multilateral forums, and deeper regional economic integration.
“We know that peace and security are essential for meaningful social and economic development,” he said.
“We must be deeply concerned about ongoing conflicts in our continent.
“These deadly conflicts are taking a devastating human toll. They are impeding Africa’s developmental trajectory and jeopardising our collective future.”
He said African states must “collaborate with one another and with our regional organisations to address the root causes of conflict: poverty, inequality and competition for resources”.
This is the first time the G20 has been held on African soil. Ramaphosa said of the milestone: “It takes place two years after the African Union was admitted as a member of the G20. This represents another significant step forward in Africa’s aspiration to become a strong, united, and influential global player and partner.”
Ramaphosa said that deepening economic cooperation among African countries was essential for continental development and integration.
“It is imperative that we build deeper collaboration and resilience within and between our countries,” he said.
Investment and trade expansion, he said, “must be at the centre of our economic engagements, particularly in the face of unilateral trade actions, tariffs and erosion of WTO rules”.
He welcomed advances in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), saying countries trading under AfCFTA preferences were already seeing the benefits.
Ramaphosa told his peers that four days earlier, he had met South African companies with investments across the continent and that “many of them outlined plans to substantially increase their investments over the next five years,” while firms from elsewhere in Africa were also investing in South Africa.
“These are links that we must nurture and encourage if we are to realise our continent’s potential,” he said.
To strengthen those links, Ramaphosa said: “I plan to host a Pan African Investment Conference in 2026, where African companies can showcase their investments in other countries and outline their future investment plans.”
According to the presidency, the African leaders welcomed several initiatives introduced during South Africa’s G20 presidency in support of Africa’s aspirations for sustainable growth, resilience and stronger partnerships.
These included an AI Initiative for Africa; the Ubuntu Principles on Food Security, Nutrition and Price Volatility; the G20 Africa Cooperation Agenda on Trade and Investment, which seeks to mobilise support for Africa’s economic integration and investment in productive sectors and infrastructure; and a broadened Compact with Africa.
They also endorsed a new G20 Africa Engagement Framework agreed under South Africa’s presidency, which will guide G20 Finance Track engagement with African countries until the end of 2030 and keep issues of greatest importance to Africa on the G20 agenda.
Ramaphosa also warned about the impact of sovereign debt on development, saying the G20 needed to move beyond declarations.
“We established an Africa Expert Panel to reinforce Africa’s voice on debt sustainability, the cost of capital, and financing for productive investment,” he said.
“We are encouraged by the Ministerial Declaration on Debt Sustainability, which outlines a clear acknowledgement of the growing debt burden on African countries and provides a basis for concrete action.
“We must work together to ensure that the commitments in this declaration, including to strengthen implementation of the Common Framework and extend support to countries facing liquidity challenges, are translated into meaningful action,” he added.
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