G20 agrees to make African Union permanent member
The continental body, made up of 55 member states, will be given the same status as the European Union.
The G20 has agreed to add the African Union regional bloc as a permanent member, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
Mr Modi’s announcement means the African bloc, a continental body of 55 member states, will be promoted from being an invited international group to a fully-fledged member of the G20.
Mr Modi, as India’s head of state and this year’s host of the annual G20 summit, has made giving a voice to the Global South a centrepiece of his agenda.
The announcement ends the African Union’s seven years of advocacy to see the bloc added to the G20.
The move serves as a powerful acknowledgment of the growing importance of Africa.
The European Union is already a permanent member of the G20 and is the only other regional bloc with that status.