India assumed presidency of the G20 with great fanfare. Around 100 monuments across the country were illuminated for seven days with the colours of India’s G20 logo — saffron, green, white and blue. The website, g20.org, also changed for India: it now reads ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. India will preside over the G20 in 2023.
India’s presidency has come at a challenging time. The G20 is itself divided on crucial issues like the Ukraine war, Indo-Pacific rivalry and the Covid-19 pandemic. India, undoubtedly, will face challenges while bringing the G20 together to facilitate international cooperation on crucial economic issues. It has indicated that it will prioritise issues like global health infrastructure, tech-enabled development in education, anti-corruption measures, reform of multilateral institutions, climate change, energy security, women empowerment and so on. India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, proclaimed that India’s G20 presidency will be “inclusive, ambitious, decisive, and action-oriented”.
Yet, Africa, the voice of 1.37 billion people and the world’s eighth-largest economy, remains underrepresented in this significant multilateral group. South Africa is the lone member country from Africa that consists of 55 sovereign nations. Of course, there are routine invitations extended to select African leaders as a gesture of inclusivity and solidarity to attend the G20 summit.
Nevertheless, the G20 has paid sufficient attention to Africa’s concerns like Covid-19 vaccine coverage. It has taken initiatives like the Debt Service Suspension and the Common Framework for debt treatment. Over the years, several initiatives were also taken during the presidencies of Italy, France, Germany and China concerning the African economy. However, except for South Africa, African countries seldom took part in the decision-making process in these meetings. Africa has thus been left to absorb crucial decisions on the continent by other countries. Such a gap in representation serves to weaken the credibility, traction and representative spirit of the G20.
Therefore, at this time of India’s presidency of the G20, it is imperative to bring the African Union as a member of the group to raise the voice of the Global South. African participation in global affairs has always revolved around the African Union: its inclusion would strengthen global economic governance and implementation of G20-endorsed policies. Several prominent figures have made such a call over the years.
India has had a long association with African countries. Being an emerging economy, India has contributed in various ways to promote issues of the Global South and has been an active player in development cooperation efforts with African countries. It has increasingly prioritised Africa as a strategic partner at the political, economic and security levels. Moreover, the deliberations during the three India-Africa Forum Summits brought African and Indian leaders closer in forming a shared vision for policy coordination and prolonged commercial interaction for the purpose of identifying and developing new opportunities. In his ’10 Guiding Principles for India Africa engagement’, Modi outlined a vision for not just a bilateral relationship with Africa but also a partnership at the global level. He visualised India and Africa working together for a just, representative and democratic global order.
India wants Africa’s support to strengthen its candidature in the United Nations Security Council. Being a strong contender for a permanent member in the UNSC, India needs the crucial support of 54 African countries. As an advocate of the Global South, India has strongly demanded tangible action for an expanded and reformed UN Security Council that would reflect the changing dynamics of today’s world order. An initiative to include the African Union in the G20 would give India an opportunity to raise its global profile as a leader of developing countries.
Aparajita Biswas is former professor and director, Centre for African Studies, University of Mumbai
