The G-20 and Africa: A Critical Assessment

Photo © G20 Host Photo Agency
President Jacob Zuma and his wife Bongi Zuma arriving yesterday at Pulkovo International Airport, St Petersburg in Russia for the G20 Leaders Summit.

Against the background of an increasingly complex structure of global economic governance, this briefing seeks to assess how well G-20 member countries have responded to the concerns of sub-Saharan Africa.

The assessment is made in the context of the possible failure by the G-20 to take into account the legitimate interests of sub-Saharan African countries, among which only South Africa is a G-20 member. It evaluates G-20 performance in five critical areas. They are, respectively, identifying aims, respect for applicable principles of international law, good administrative practice, comprehensive coverage and co-ordinated specialisation. After closely examining G-20 summit outcomes against each of these criteria, the briefing lists a series of recommendations on how G-20 member states might become more responsive to sub-Saharan Africa’s concerns, and how African countries might influence in their favour G-20 policies in the areas under review.

The views expressed in this publication/article are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA).

25 Feb 2014