The entry of the African Union (AU) into the G20 will provide a "propitious framework" for the continent to make "its effective contribution" in aiding the world to meet global challenges, AU Commission head Moussa Faki Mahamat said Saturday.
"I welcome the African Union's entry into the G20 as full member. This membership, for which we have long been advocating, will provide a propitious framework for amplifying advocacy in favor of the Continent and its effective contribution to meeting global challenges," he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The African Union at full strength has 55 members, but six junta-ruled nations are currently suspended. Collectively, it has a GDP of $3 trillion with some 1.4 billion people.
As the G20, the grouping included 19 countries and the European Union, representing 85 percent of the world GDP, with South Africa its only member state from the continent.
"As a continent, we look forward to further advancing our aspirations on the global stage using the G20 platform," Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is at the summit, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.