G20 Agrees Membership for African Union on Par with EU

The G20 has agreed to grant the African Union permanent membership status, according to people familiar with the matter, who said leaders are expected to announce the decision during a summit in India this weekend.

This move would give the 55-member African Union, which is currently classified as an “invited international organization,” the same status as the European Union, according to sources who requested anonymity.

This approval is part of a drive to provide African countries with a stronger voice on global issues such as climate change and emerging market debt, especially as emerging markets in the so-called “Global South” assume a more prominent role in global affairs.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is hosting the G20 summit, has made full membership of the African Union a top priority.

Giorgia Meloni from Italy was also among those who supported G20 membership of the African Union at the last G7 meeting, held in Japan in mid-May.

In early May, during a visit to the African Union headquarters in Ethiopia, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz threw his weight behind calls for the G20 to become a permanent member of the G20 to give it a greater role in efforts to address global issues such as climate change.

Scholz said Africa must play a greater international role to reflect its growing importance in an increasingly divided and multipolar world order.

The G20 includes 19 countries and the European Union, which contributes about 85% of the global gross domestic product, and its population constitutes two-thirds of the world's population.