By Kevin Rademeyer.
On February 20, 2025, South Africa made history as the first African nation to assume the G20 Presidency, hosting its inaugural Foreign Ministers Meeting in Johannesburg at the Nasrec Expo Centre.
Under the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability,” President Cyril Ramaphosa opened the two-day event, emphasizing the interconnected challenges of geopolitical tensions, rising intolerance, conflict, climate change, pandemics, and energy and food insecurity.
He stressed the need for inclusive, coordinated responses, noting the significance of hosting the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Africa later this year to amplify African voices on sustainable development, the digital economy, and green energy.
The first day’s discussions reflected both promise and tension. Ramaphosa called the G20 an opportunity for collaboration amid strained South Africa-U.S. relations—marked by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s absence—and growing U.S.-EU friction.
“The nations of the world look to the G20 for leadership,” he said, advocating for a globally representative UN Security Council and citing conflicts in Ukraine, Congo, Sudan, the Sahel, and Gaza.
He welcomed the Israel-Hamas ceasefire as a step toward peace, urging diplomatic solutions rooted in international law.
South Africa’s G20 priorities took center stage: enhancing disaster resilience, ensuring debt sustainability, mobilizing just energy transition finance, and leveraging critical minerals for inclusive growth.
Ramaphosa highlighted the debt crisis—where 3.3 billion people live in nations prioritizing interest payments over health or education—and pressed for climate finance from high-emission countries to support vulnerable ones. Day two will build on these themes, focusing on Africa’s development via Agenda 2063.
Despite a lack of consensus among G20 nations, representing two-thirds of the global population, Ramaphosa’s call for solidarity and reform set a bold tone for a presidency aiming to bridge divides and champion equality.