The African Union has been admitted to the Group of 20 (G20) as a permanent member, joining the world’s major economies that control up to 75 percent of global trade.
The announcement was made by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday as he inaugurated a leaders’ summit in New Delhi where this year’s annual meeting is being held.
Mr Modi invited the chair of the African Union, Azali Assoumani to take his seat as a permanent member, a major milestone for the continent.
“This is the time for all of us to move together be it the divide between North and South, the distance between the East and West, management of food and fuel, terrorism, cyber security, health, energy or water security, we must find a solid solution to this for future generations,” said Mr Modi.
The African Union is an apex body that brings together 55 member states and its admission at the G20 will play an important role in addressing the challenges that the continent faces.
Previously, the AU has been invited to the summit just as a guest together with other global organisations including the Bretton Woods institutions.
Since assuming the G20 presidency, Modi has been keen to push India’s credentials as a leader of emerging and developing nations, known as the Global South, pushing for increased cooperation with richer nations to help secure vital financial lifelines, according to CNN.
Modi has previously spoken of his intention to include the African Union in the grouping.
“Africa is a top priority for us even within the G20. One of the first things we did during our G20 Presidency was to hold the Voice of the Global South summit, which had enthusiastic participation from Africa,” said Mr Modi in an earlier interview with local media.
The group was founded in 1999 after the Asian financial crisis. It was designed to be a forum for finance ministers and officials to discuss ways to restore economic stability.
The G20 members are the EU plus 19 nations including 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.
The first leaders’ summit was held in 2008 in response to that year’s financial turmoil, to promote international cooperation.