By – Prakarsh Kastwar
Following Modi’s assurance to the then-chief of the 55-member African bloc at the Bali Summit last year, the African bloc was made the permanent party of the G20 bloc.
At a news conference on Saturday, Union Foreign Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured former African Union (AU) president Macky Sall of the organization’s inclusion in the Group of Twenty (G20), and that PM Modi has followed through on his promise.
The Union minister remembered the last G20 Summit, which took place in Bali, Indonesia, in 2022, during which the then-AU head, who is now the President of Senegal, expressed displeasure with the G20’s inclusion.
“PM (Modi) had informed the (President of the African Union) that it would undoubtedly be done under the Indian G 20 presidency…And you have observed that he has followed through on his assurance. When the then-AU president visited the PM during the BRICS meeting, he remarked, “You had assured us and you actually influenced it.
On Saturday, the 55-member African Union received official status as a permanent G20 member. In a brief first session that was broadcast on television, Prime Minister Modi made the announcement that the African Union would become the G20’s first new member since it was founded in 1999 to address a string of financial crises.
“India had recommended that the African Union be granted permanent membership in the G20, in keeping with the concept of sabka saath (with everyone). On this proposition, I think we’re all in agreement, stated PM Modi.
Current AU head Moussa Faki Mahamat praised the decision, saying that the bloc’s admission to the G20 will enable Africa to make its “effective contribution” to addressing global concerns.
“I applaud the African Union’s admission as a full member of the G20. This membership, for which we have long advocated, will offer a favorable framework for enhancing advocacy on behalf of the Continent and its valuable contribution to addressing global concerns, the author stated on X (previously Twitter).