Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Saturday the African Union (AU)’s accession to the G20 as a permanent member during the commencement of the organization’s summit. The African Union now becomes the second regional block to attain permanent status in the G20 after the European Union.

The African Union has persistently sought full G20 membership for a span of seven years, a position articulated by spokesperson Ebba Kalondo. Prior to this development, South Africa was the sole AU country within the G20. The African Union officially comprises 55 member states, with six nations currently under suspension due to coup-related incidents. Collectively, the African Union commands a GDP of $3 trillion and sustains a population of approximately 1.4 billion people. The G20 constitutes a substantial portion of the global economy, consisting of 19 countries and the European Union, collectively contributing to 85 per cent of the world’s GDP.

The AU’s membership in the G20 would translate to a “propitious framework for amplifying advocacy in favour of the Continent and its effective contribution to meeting global challenges,” according to AU Commission head Moussa Faki Mahamat. The Nigerian President attending the summit as a special invitee said that “as a continent, we anticipate further advancing our global aspirations through the G20 platform.”

The G20 was formed in 1999 in the wake of the Asian financial crisis to unite finance ministers and central bankers from twenty of the world’s largest established and emerging economies. A decade later, amid the height of the global economic crisis, heads of state and government were included in the G20.