G20 Feature

The Africa CSO G20 Climate, Energy & Sustainable Finance Network (ACG20) says the second Global Tipping Points Report has confirmed that the world has already breached its first major climate tipping point, the widespread mortality of warm-water coral reefs.  The network highlights the urgent need for transformative climate justice and stronger financial commitments from the world’s wealthiest nations, particularly the G20. ACG20 has called for immediate action to accelerate a people-centred Just Energy Transition (JET) and urged G20 member countries to ensure these transitions are equitable and non-exploitative. Thami Ngubeni and Ashraf Garda spoke to Kuda Manjonjo, a Just Transition Advisor at Powershift Africa, one of the organisations within the ACG20 Network.

The Women20 South Africa Summit that took place earlier this week urged G20 leaders to prioritise policies promoting entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and access to education and healthcare for women and girls worldwide. The Women20 engagement group advances gender equality and women's economic empowerment, offering a platform for diverse women to advocate for relevant policies and programmes. Thami Ngubeni and Ashraf Garda spoke to the founder and CEO of Crtve Development, Dr Okito Wedi.

As the Group of Twenty (G20) countries continue to seek solutions to migration challenges linked to legal pathways, displaced populations, and ageing workforces in many member states, new digital visa systems, employment policies for foreign nationals, and enhanced border security measures are being rolled out. Against this backdrop, ensuring that the voices of those most affected are heard has never been more important. The Alkebulan Immigrants Impact Awards (AIA) is set to host the Immigration-20 (I-20) Summit on 9–10 October 2025, amplifying the perspectives of immigrants and refugees in global policy dialogues. The AIA argues that immigration should be positioned as a catalyst for economic growth, social cohesion, and sustainable development within the G20 framework. Thami Ngubeni and Ashraf Gardas spoke to Tebo Gordon Nwanjang, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Owner of the Alkebulan Immigrants Impact Awards.

As South Africa’s Women’s Month draws to a close, our G20 feature today turns to a powerful gathering that places women at the heart of Africa’s economic future, the Women to Africa Summit. Standard Bank, in collaboration with the G20 Empowerment of Women Working Group, will on August 29, 2025, host a summit bringing together policymakers, business leaders and entrepreneurs to discuss strategies for advancing women’s participation in Africa’s economic growth. The G20 Empowerment of Women Working Group (EWWG) Women to Africa Summit aims to highlight the role of women in driving sustainable development and strengthening Africa’s position in the global economy. Thami Ngubeni and Ashraf Garda spoke to Lindeka Dzedze, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Global Markets at Standard Bank Group.

South Africa's (SA) National Treasury and the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) are jointly supporting cross-border infrastructure in Africa through the "Legacy Initiative: The Ubuntu Approach," a priority project under South Africa's G20 Infrastructure Working Group. The G20: PIC Perspective paper, Using Listed and Unlisted Financial Instruments to Fund Infrastructure on the Continent, notes that infrastructure financing in Africa faces several challenges, especially weak creditworthiness and poor project structuring, which hinder investment. Thami Ngubeni and Ashraf Garda spoke to Lungile Mashele, co-author of the paper "Using Listed and Unlisted Financial Instruments to Fund Infrastructure on the Continent.

G20  Finance ministers and central bank governors are meeting in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The Finance Track meeting is focusing on fostering global economic stability, while enhancing international financial cooperation and addressing pressing global challenges. Key among the issues impacting on the economies of African countries was the debt burden. In Previous meetings, there were calls  for the G20 countries to encourage credit rating agencies to enhance the transparency of their rating methodologies and models. Thami Ngubeni and Ashraf Garda spoke to Dr Duncan Pieterse, Director General at South Africa's National Treasury.

The Chairperson of the C20 under the G20, Thulani Tshefuta, says that during a challenging geopolitical climate and increasing trade uncertainty, the C20 is pushing for a people-centred development agenda that prioritises inclusive economic transformation over economic dominance. Tshefuta was speaking at a C20 media briefing held earlier today in Pretoria. The meeting took place under the theme "Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability." Channel Africa business reporter Innocent Semosa has more…

As we continue with our G20 coverage, today we are looking at the work South Africa has to do ahead of the summit in November. Since the country took over the G20 presidency, there have been 13 working groups that met to come up with South Africa's G20 priorities. The G20 working groups are made up of government officials, international organisations and civil society to collectively shape the G20's approach to issues requiring international cooperation. Ashraf Garda and Thabiso Lehoko spoke to a Specialist Researcher at SABC News, Velemseni Mthiyane.

Russia's G20 Sherpa, Svetlana Lukash, says the country is positioning itself within the G20 framework to support developing regions-particularly Africa-in key areas such as energy security, infrastructure investment, and climate resilience. She adds that, amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and sanctions, Russia sees its current economic cooperation with African nations as a valuable opportunity to strengthen partnerships and explore new avenues for collaboration. Channel Africa's Business reporter, Innocent Semosa filed this report.

South Africa's National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), hosted the High-Level G20 Intergovernmental Roundtable in Sandton, Johannesburg on Friday to ensure young people were not left behind as the government prepares to host the dubbed Äfrican G20 in November this year. The NYDA is a government entity established to mainstream youth development and address the challenges faced by young people. It brought together youth and professionals, international partners, and policymakers to deliberate on inclusive development pathways and generational equity. Our reporter Dimakatso Leshoro attended the event and spoke  to the deputy director at the NYDA Karabo Mohale and started asking her about the purpose of the event.

The third G20 Sherpas Meeting is currently taking place in South Africa's (SA) North West province, marked by the notable absence of the United States (US). SA's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, confirmed that the US extended an apology for its non-attendance. He stressed, however, that the G20 deliberations would proceed as planned.  Meanwhile, as Israel and Iran agree to a ceasefire, questions are emerging around Africa's economic positioning in light of the shifting geopolitical landscape. Thabiso Lehoko and the SAFM's Ashraaf Garda spoke to the ministry's spokesperson Chrispin Phiri on this issue.

South Africa's Director-General of the Department of International Relations and Co-operation,and G20 Sherpa Mr. Zane Dangor, says meaningful progress has been made on climate financing since the last Sherpas Meeting, with member states now being held accountable for their commitments. Dangor was speaking at the opening of the 3rd G20 Sherpas Meeting, currently underway in North West, South Africa. The gathering is being held under the theme "Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability".Channel Africa business reporter Innocent Semosa has more.

The African Development Bank says over 640 million people on the continent have no access to energy, and that the electricity access rate for African countries is just over 40 per cent, the lowest in the world. The bank says access to energy is crucial for reducing the cost of doing business and for unlocking economic potential and creating jobs... The Director of the African Energy Leadership Centre at the University of the Witwatersrand, Professor David Phaho, observes that the Southern African region seems to have regressed when it comes to power supply, as it used to have one of the most developed power pools in Africa in the 90s.  Thami Ngubeni and Ashraf Garda spoke to Professor Phaho about how G20 economies can assist the regions in Africa to share electricity through power pools

The Urban 20 (U20) Sherpa Meeting and the African Mayors Assembly, currently taking place in South Africa's capital, Pretoria, is an event that aims to forge collaborative strategies to accelerate inclusive climate action, sustainable urban development, and resilient public services among G20 countries. This is the first time the Urban 20 convenes on the African continent... And the Executive Mayor of Tshwane, Nasiphi Moy, says that South Africa hosting the U20 Sherpa Meeting and the African Mayors Assembly will ensure that Africa's voice is not only present but actively shaping the G20 agenda at the highest level. The Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Mayor Dada Morero, says the U20 meeting will be a testament to how cities, including Johannesburg, are not just implementing global policy, but they are shaping it. Thami Ngubeni and Asharf Garda spoke to the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) responsible for Housing and Human Settlements at the City of Tshwane, Aaron Maluleka...

South Africa's G20 presidency in 2025, presents a pivotal opportunity to shape global economic discourse while addressing pressing domestic and regional challenges, such as logistics and transport networks. The G20's Infrastructure, Transport and Logistics agenda focuses on addressing infrastructure gaps and improving connectivity, particularly in developing countries. In South Africa, this is done through Operation Vulindlela a joint initiative between the Presidency and National Treasury that aims to modernise and transform network industries, including electricity, water, transport and digital communications. Thami Ngubeni spoke to Miyelani Mkhabela, the Director and Chief Economist of Antswisa Management Group

Agricultural Chief Scientists of the G20 states met this week. The meeting was focused on collaborative efforts to address agricultural challenges and promote sustainable practices among member countries. In 2011, the G20 Member States decided to address the diverse global challenges in agriculture affecting the people and planet through joint agricultural research and innovation strategies as well as the implementation of initiatives under new cooperation formats. Thami Ngubeni spoke to Prof Hans van Meijl, from the Wageningen Social and Economic Research, Special Professor of Macroeconomic assessment of the circular and bioeconomy, Wageningen University (WUR)..

There are calls for South Africa to use its G20 presidency to address the lack of proper representation of the 193 member states of the United Nations, plus the small number of non-member states in the group. Professor Daniel  Bradlow, a part-time G20 Senior Fellow at the South African Institute of International Affairs  (SAIIA), says that with rich states cutting their official development assistance and growing tensions in the world, it's even more urgent to improve the efficacy of the G20. Thami Ngubeni spoke to Professor Daniel Bradlow, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Advancement of Scholarship, University of Pretoria, South Africa

SanlamAllianz is a lead sponsor of the B20 South Africa 2025. They are a joint venture between Sanlam and Allianz. The joint venture between the insurance giants is poised to unlock new opportunities for both Africa and the global economy. The B20 serves as the G20's premier dialogue platform for the global business community, fostering collaboration between business and government to stimulate economic growth across Africa. Thami Ngubeni spoke to Gaffar Hassam, Brand Executive for Strategy & Corporate Affairs at SanlamAllianz.

South Africa's Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities says today's round table sought to foster inclusivity by engaging the banking and financial sector, along with corporate stakeholders, in G20-related discussions that have direct implications for South Africa during and beyond its G20 presidency. It also sought to forge and cultivate smart partnerships for unlocking inclusive economic participation opportunities. The round table was held in Johannesburg. Sisi Segalo has more on the story

The G20 Tourism Working Group met in KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa over the weekend ahead of the Africa Travel Indaba. Senior officials, authorities and experts in the tourism sector looked at priorities that are poised to drive sustainable tourism growth among the member countries. This was a follow-up to a meeting they had in March, where the Working Group members agreed on several priorities that will inform the G20 action plan on tourism development.  Thami Ngubeni spoke to Tasneem Carrim, the Chief Director of Communication at the Department of Tourism

The University of South Africa (Unisa), in partnership with South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), launched the G20 Presidency Community Engagements/Town Hall outreach programme on Wednesday at the University's main campus in Pretoria. The launch marked the beginning of a series of town hall discussions that were held in provinces across the country as part of the mandate by DIRCO to conduct public participation programmes aimed at engaging relevant sectors of society in the decision-making and implementation of departmental and government programmes. Thami Ngubeni spoke to Maresane Mariri, who is a community leader and an entrepreneur in Soweto, South of Johannesburg, and represented his community

South Africa is working to achieve women's economic and financial autonomy in a bid to achieve gender equality. Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, made the remarks at the G20 Financial Inclusion and Women Empowerment Conference underway in South Africa's Northwest Province. This year's conference is being co-hosted by the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities and Tshwane University of Technology. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Dr Patrick Ebewo, Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development at Tshwane University of Technology.

South African Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago says a secure digital consumer identity is key to reducing fraud and strengthening the resilience of the financial system. He made the remarks at the launch of the 2025 G20 TechSprint, held under the theme "Trust and Integrity: Scalable and Open Finance. Kganyago also highlighted that the safe and trusted exchange of credit data across borders could unlock access to services like real-time credit scoring. Channel Africa business reporter Innocent Semosa has more

As South Africa (SA) prepares to host the G20 Summit this November, one of the largest commercial banks Absa *today hosted the launch of G20 Empower Alliance in Johannesburg. Under the theme " Uhuru: Women building sustainable income and financial independence", this is an initiative focused on promoting the active participation of women in decision-making and management within the private business sector, particularly within G20 countries.  As Gold and Diamond sponsors of G20 SA and B20 SA respectively, Absa is a driving force in shaping policies that unlock Africa's economic potential, starting with women and youth Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Managing Executives for Marketing Operations at Absa Bank, Tina Venter.

South Africa's (SA) Minister of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, says she hopes that the launch of the Eastern Cape Province G20 leg, will help to bring to emphasisee and deal with some of the challenges faced by small business enterprises within the ocean's economy. Ndabeni was speaking during the provincial launch of the G20, taking place in Gqeberha over the next two days. The overall theme of the roadshow is the Marine and Oceans economy under the theme" The Oceans Economy, the next South Africa's gold mine".  Lerato Fekisi has more.

The G20 Africa Investment Summit, a high-level gathering of G20 delegates, businesspeople, academics and members of the diplomatic corps took place in South Africa's capital Pretoria on Friday. The event saw the highly anticipated launch of the first of its kind Academia-Public-Private-Diplomatic Corps Forum. Channel Africa's business reporter Innocent Semosa has more.

The G20 Agriculture Working Group under South Africa's 2025 Presidency, says international trade is key in addressing food insecurity. Addressing the Agriculture Working Group, South Africa's Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen, sounded an alarm about the continued threats against the stability of global food systems due to climate volatility. The members of the working group called on international development banks to play an important role in mobilizing resources and increasing and improving the quality of investments towards more sustainable and productive agricultural models. For more on this, we are joined on the line by the Deputy Director General for Economic Development, Trade and Marketing of the Department of Agriculture, Kwena Komape.

As South Africa prepares for the G20 Summit in November, various working groups continue to meet in preparation. Topping the agenda for the second Development Working Group on Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation were illicit financial flows and bridging the financing gap for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The G20 Development Working Group nations were also urged to come up with tangible solutions to combat illicit financial flows. Thami Ngubeni spoke to South Africa's Minister in the Presidency, responsible for Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation, Maropene Ramokgopa.