'Days of Top-Down Approach Are Over': Professor Says Ahead of G20 in South Africa

The AU, which represents over 50 countries in Africa, is making one of the single largest regional blocks in the G20. And that gives us now an immense opportunity. And of course, gives us a political weight to advocate for issues that relate to developing the world, such as multilateral reforms, issues of fair trade with Africa, issues of climate justice [...] So we are given as Africa an opportunity now to say, let us do this together. Don't think, for us, the days of the top-down approach are now over. It's a time when we enter into the negotiation space as equal partners, where we can together resolve Africa's problem, not just only Africa but the world's problem together. [....] We need to look at South-South Cooperation where the AU can broker specific G20 working groups or initiatives, and focus specifically on South-South collaboration, leveraging BRICS expertise[....] Africa's soil is rich with minerals and natural resources, and we need therefore to add value to such national resources to enrich Africa and its peoples such that the world around us depends on us rather than us depending on them, because they take our minerals and manufacture them, add value and sell them back to Africa. Let us do that thing locally in Africa and let the world depend on Africa,” the professor emphasized.