G20 Summit: Africa has finally arrived at world stage, courtesy India. TIMELINE of how PM Modi did it

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday formally announced the inclusion of the African Union (AU) as a permanent member of G20.

The announcement came during the inaugural session of the G20 Leaders Summit that is being held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan.

“With support from all of you, I invite the African Union to join G20,” Modi said amid thunderous applause from world leaders at the summit.

India has played a massive role in the African Union’s pitch for membership in the G20.

The African Union, a continental body of 55 member states, now has the same status as the European Union – the only regional bloc with a full membership. Its previous designation was “invited international organisation”.

Here’s a timeline of how AU achieved this feat:

1. 9 September 2023: The African Union formally becomes a permanent member of G20 after all member countries accepted PM Modi’s proposal to bring the key bloc of the Global South to the high table of the world’s top economies. The move is seen as a major diplomatic achievement of India’s presidency.
2. 4 September 2023: G20 Sherpas sat down to draft the final communique, highlighting AU’s induction in the grouping.
3. August 2023: China says it is the first nation to extend its support for the AU’s inclusion in G20. During the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that his country will “work actively to support the AU’s full membership in the G-20.”
4. June 2023: Prime Minister Modi formally proposed granting AU a permanent membership in the Group of 20. The G20 previously comprised 19 countries and the European Union, with the members representing around 85 per cent of global GDP, more than 75 per cent of international trade and about two-thirds of the world population.
5. 2022: US President Joe Biden called last year for the AU’s permanent membership in the G20, saying it’s been “a long time in coming.”