An invitation to this weekend’s G20 conference, where India and the United States hope to integrate the pan-African organization, has “not yet” been extended to the African Union (AU), a spokesman said on Wednesday.
“So far, the AU Commission has not yet received an invitation to take part in the summit”, scheduled for September 9 and 10 in New Delhi, Ebba Kalondo, spokesperson for AU Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat, told AFP.
Together, the G20’s 19 member nations plus the EU make up two-thirds of the global population and represent 85% of the global economy.
Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, reiterated his desire for the AU to join the G20, which only includes one other African nation at the moment—South Africa—at the end of August.
“We have invited the African Union with the idea of granting it permanent membership” of the G20, said Mr. Modi at the B20 business forum, a prelude to the summit.
In December, US President Joe Biden had already expressed his wish for the AU to join the G20 as a permanent member, assuring that “it’s going to happen”.
“We look forward to warmly welcoming the African Union as a permanent member of the G20,” said White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Tuesday, adding, “We believe the voice of the African Union will make the G20 stronger.”
The African Union (AU), which has 55 member countries and a GDP of $3 trillion, is headquartered in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.