55 countries and 1.4 billion people: The African Union has so far hardly been represented on the international stage. Chancellor Scholz wants to change that and include the AU in the G20 group of states.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has spoken out in favor of the African Union becoming a member of the G20 group of leading economic powers. “That requires respect for the continent and its many states and also its growing population,” said the SPD politician during a visit to the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa. Scholz began his three-day trip to Africa there – the second since he took office.
The Chancellor was optimistic that the G20 would decide to include the AU in the foreseeable future. “I’ve had a lot of conversations and I feel like there’s broad, growing support for that.” He assumes that the accession can succeed “in the not too distant future,” he said after a meeting with the AU Commission Chairman, Moussa Faki.
So far, Africa has hardly been represented in the G20
Currently, 19 countries and the European Union are members of the G20, including the world’s most populous countries and largest economies. Members include the US, China, Russia, India and Germany. A summit meeting is held every year, the next in September in India.
So far, only South Africa has participated from Africa – a country that is currently viewed with skepticism by the West because of its proximity to Russia. South Africa has consistently abstained from votes in the UN General Assembly condemning Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
On the other hand, the Asian continent is represented in the G20 with China, Japan, India, Indonesia and South Korea – as well as Saudi Arabia, which can also be counted as part of Asia geographically. South America is there with Argentina and Brazil.
Efforts by South Africa, France and the USA
The African desire for more participation is not new. For decades, the continent’s states have been trying to get a seat on the UN Security Council. However, every attempt at reform by the body failed, mainly because the veto powers USA, France, Great Britain, China and Russia blocked each other. This is one of the reasons why efforts to strengthen Africa’s international representation are now focused on the G20.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa had already spoken out in favor of a place for the AU in the G20 last year. He received support from French President Emmanuel Macron, who spoke out in favor of future AU participation at the G20 summit in Bali. US President Joe Biden joined Macron’s push and campaigned for the AU to join the G20 during a US-Africa summit in December 2022.
populous union
With 55 countries, the AU includes all internationally recognized African countries as well as the internationally disputed country of Western Sahara. The AU thus represents the interests of around 1.4 billion people.
For comparison: Only around a third as many people (447.7 million) live in the European Union. According to the International Monetary Fund, the countries of the AU generated around three trillion US dollars (2.7 trillion euros) last year, while the EU, on the other hand, generated almost 16 trillion euros.
support in peace process
With his visit to Ethiopia, Scholz does not just want to set an example for Africa’s codetermination. Supporting a peace process in Ethiopia after a bloody civil war is also part of his journey. The fighting between government troops and the People’s Liberation Front in the Tigray region only ended in November after two years with a ceasefire.
Despite this, violence between different ethnic groups still occurs. The conflict claimed around 500,000 lives and displaced around two million people. All parties to the conflict have committed human rights violations – the peace process is considered complicated and lengthy.
Scholz is also visiting Kenya
For Scholz, Ethiopia is the first stop on his second major trip to Africa as head of government. In addition to regional conflicts, renewable energies and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine should also be discussed. In the evening we continue to Kenya, Germany’s most important partner country in East Africa.
Scholz traveled to Africa for the first time in May 2022, very soon after taking office, and visited the Bundeswehr troops in Niger, traveled to Senegal in West Africa and to South Africa. The second trip after only 17 months in office should now show that he does not want to leave the neighboring continent to his very active competitors China and Russia.