Modi anticipated Africa's role in global growth

AS SOUTH Africa played host to the first G20 Summit on African soil in Johannesburg last week, the inclusion of the African Union (AU) among the 42 nations and organisations that confirmed attendance was thanks to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision and lobbying back in 2023, positing that there is no global growth without Africa.

- ZINGISA MKHUMA

INDIAN Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. The various state visits by Modi to the African continent, including his fourth visit in under a decade to South Africa, are a positive signal that India sees South Africa and the continent as a significant player on the global stage and a key partner, says the writer. | JAIRUS MMUTLE GCIS/File

(JAIRUS MMUTLE GCIS/File)

The bold and laudable initiative by Modi to have the AU included in the G20 as a full member confirms India’s standing as a trusted friend and supporter of Africa.

Modi’s efforts to deepen relations between his country and our continent must be welcomed, and they also highlight the importance of forming ties with stronger nations to chart Africa’s growth.

The inclusion of South Africa as the only country from the African continent in the G20, while lauded here and abroad, reflected skewed representation and a further expression of global inequality and power imbalance, especially because Africa's economy is as vast as it is diverse with significant growth potential driven by sectors such as agriculture and mineral resources with a projected GDP of $29 trillion by 2050.

Thus, in September 2023 at the 18th G20 Summit, Modi formally proposed granting permanent member status to the AU, ensuring that one of the fastest-growing continents in the world in terms of its human capital and GDP gets a seat at the table.

G20 members, including the US, China and Germany, supported this move. The momentous inclusion was announced in September 2023, making the AU the 21st member. In a way Africa, via the AU, gained full membership of the G20.

This initiative by Modi once again reflects his and India’s vision for inclusivity and their commitment to bringing the interests and voices of the African continent and developing countries to the world stage.