Whole continent as a member
Scholz wants to see Africa in the G20
05/04/2023 06:02 p.m
More than 1.4 billion people live in Africa and yet the continent is represented by only one member in the influential G20 group. Chancellor Scholz called for that to change during his visit to Ethiopia. The idea is not new.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has spoken out in favor of the African Union (AU) becoming a member of the influential G20 group of leading economic powers. “That requires respect for the continent and its many states and also its growing population,” he said at the start of his three-day trip to Africa during a visit to the AU in Addis Ababa.
The G20 currently includes 19 countries and the European Union, including the world’s most populous countries and largest economies. Members include the US, China, Russia, India and Germany. There is a summit meeting every year, the next in September in India. From Africa, only South Africa has been included so far – a country that is currently viewed with skepticism by the West because of its proximity to Russia. South Africa has always abstained from voting in the UN General Assembly on the condemnation of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and forms the BRICS group of states with China, Russia, India and Brazil.
AU represents the interests of 1.4 billion people
The African desire for more participation is not new. South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa had already spoken out in favor of a place for the African Union in the G20 last year. He received support from French President Emmanuel Macron, who spoke out in favor of future AU participation at the G20 summit in Bali. US President Joe Biden joined Macron’s push in campaigning for the AU to join the G20 during a US-Africa summit in December 2022.
With 55 countries, the AU includes all internationally recognized African countries as well as the internationally disputed country of Western Sahara. The AU thus represents the interests of around 1.4 billion people. For comparison: Only around a third as many people (447.7 million) live in the European Union. According to the International Monetary Fund, the countries of the AU generated around three trillion US dollars (2.7 trillion euros) last year, while the EU, on the other hand, generated almost 16 trillion euros.