Addressing African leaders under the chairmanship of รvariste Ndayishimiye, President of Burundi, the Vice President described the AUโs permanent membership in the G20 as a โhistoric and strategic breakthroughโ for Africaโs global representation.
However, the statement stressed that membership alone is not a victory. Africaโs participation, he noted, must be defined by tangible results that improve lives across the continent. The Vice President commended South Africa and the African Union Commission for successfully hosting the G20 Summit on African soil for the first time.
The Gambia outlined three non-negotiable pillars for Africaโs engagement: access to affordable finance, resilience to climate shocks, and inclusive growth.
On financial reform, the statement called for restructuring the global financial architecture to expand concessional financing and ease Africaโs heavy debt burdens. It urged movement beyond the G20 Common Framework and advocated for innovative tools such as climate-resilient debt clauses and debt-for-development swaps.
On climate change, the Vice President emphasised that Africa, though contributing the least to global emissions, suffers disproportionately. He called for climate finance to shift โfrom pledges to pipelines,โ ensuring faster disbursement and fewer bureaucratic barriers.
Finally, the statement underscored food security, energy access, and digital transformation as drivers of inclusive growth. Investments in agriculture, reliable power supply, and digital public infrastructure, particularly to unlock the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area, were described as essential to job creation and youth empowerment.
โAfrica does not seek symbolic inclusion,โ the Vice President concluded. โWe seek a partnership of equals that delivers transformative results on the ground.โ
Mariatou Ngum
Senior Communication Officer
Office of the Vice President
