South Africa says the 2025 G20 Leaders’ Summit marked a major moment for multilateral cooperation, with President Cyril Ramaphosa describing the gathering as a commitment to “solidarity, equality and sustainability.” He made the remarks during the first G20 summit ever hosted on African soil, as confirmed on the G20 Summit page.
In his opening address, Ramaphosa argued that global inequality must be confronted, calling it “one of the greatest impediments to sustainable growth,” a point reflected in the official speech released by the G20 Presidency. South Africa used its presidency to push for reforms to international financial systems, including fairer access to concessional finance and stronger support for climate-related development, positions reflected throughout the presidency’s public statements.
African leaders welcomed the focus on development, with the African Union emphasising the alignment between the summit’s priorities and Agenda 2063. South Africa also used the G20 platform to highlight the continent’s need for fairer trade rules, industrialisation support, and a just energy transition.
The summit was not without tension. Some global powers expressed reservations about parts of the final declaration, and the United States resisted sections of the negotiated text. Even with these challenges, South Africa managed to secure consensus on a joint outcome document—a result analysts say helped stabilise a multilateral process that had been under strain, as noted by Le Monde.
For South Africa, hosting the summit was more than symbolic. It signalled Africa’s growing role in reshaping global economic governance and reinforced the continent’s call for fairer financial systems, stronger climate commitments, and development-focused partnerships. The long-term test will be whether the commitments made in Johannesburg lead to action, but the summit has already given Africa a stronger voice on the world stage.