South Africa became the first African country to take over the presidency of the Group of 20, receiving the role from Brazil at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. President Cyril Ramaphosa accepted responsibility for leading the forum for the coming year, with South Africa’s term formally due to begin on December 1.
Ramaphosa described the transfer as an honor on behalf of the South African people. He set out a presidency organized around the theme of “solidarity, equality and sustainability,” linking those ideas to inclusive economic growth, sustainable development and the international goals established through the United Nations.
The agenda included advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the organization’s Compact for the Future. Ramaphosa also said the G20 should address inequalities that threaten economic stability and global progress. His comments placed development policy, rather than only crisis management among major economies, at the center of South Africa’s stated plans.
The president pledged to bring the priorities of Africa and the wider Global South into G20 discussions. South Africa had been the group’s only national member from the continent before the African Union was admitted as a permanent member at the 2023 summit in New Delhi. Holding the chair gave Pretoria an opportunity to shape the sequence of meetings and emphasize issues affecting countries that have historically had less influence over global economic governance.
The combination of South Africa’s national membership and the African Union’s newer permanent place meant the continent entered this presidency with two distinct forms of representation. The evidence did not describe how the two would coordinate, but Ramaphosa’s pledge showed that African development priorities would be an explicit part of his government’s leadership program.
Ramaphosa also identified current conflicts and humanitarian pressures as areas requiring attention. He said the forum should continue advocating for people facing hardship in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine. He called for support for countries most exposed to future pandemics and other public-health emergencies, broadening the proposed program beyond conventional questions of finance and trade.
The G20 brings together major advanced and emerging economies, with its presidency rotating among members. South Africa’s assumption of the chair followed Brazil’s 2024 stewardship and the ceremonial handover during the second day of the Rio summit. The transition made the African country responsible for guiding the group’s work and hosting the next cycle of ministerial and leaders’ discussions.
The significance of the handover was both practical and symbolic. South Africa would lead a forum whose decisions can shape international economic coordination, while doing so as the first national representative of Africa to occupy the presidency. The African Union’s permanent membership added another channel for continental participation, but South Africa retained its own seat and national agenda.
The commitments announced in Rio remained priorities rather than completed policies. Their effect would depend on negotiations among G20 members during South Africa’s term. At the point of handover, however, Ramaphosa had defined the presidency as a platform for reducing inequality, strengthening preparedness and giving African and Global South development demands greater prominence in international decision-making.
