Four Africans were present in different capacities at the G20 summit that takes place in the German city of Hamburg (July 7 – 8). They comprised three presidents and one international civil servant.
Only four Africans made it to the G20 summit, who are they?
South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma was the only African president who would ordinarily had joined the meeting given that his country is the only African member of the G20 group of nations.
African Union (A.U.) President Alpha Conde was also present in his capacity as leader of the continental political bloc. Africa is said to be at the center of discussion for the summit due to issues relating to migration and terrorism.
Macky Sall – the Senegalese president, joined the summit as head of the A.U’s New Partnership for Economic Development (NEPAD) program. The G20 website classifies Guinea and Senegal as ‘Guest Countries’ with the representation of their respective leaders.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus – WHO Director-General. The newly elected head of the global health outfit was also present in Hamburg as was his boss, United Nations (U.N.) secretary-general, Antonio Guterres.
Note: Other ‘Guest Countries’ at this year’s summit were, Norway, Netherlands, Spain, Vietnam and Singapore.
Aside leaders of the 19 G20 nations and the European Union (E.U.) – the 20th member, other international civil servants who joined the summit included: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, Financial Stability Board (FSB) President Mark Carney, and U.N. chief Antonio Guterres.
The Group of Twenty is comprised of 19 countries plus the European Union. The countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.