Foreign Desk: The African Union (AU) is likely to be given permanent membership of the forum at the G20 summit after Africa was given extra importance at the BRICS summit in South Africa.
The country’s prime minister offered full membership to the AU in a speech at the Business 20 summit ahead of the G20 summit in New Delhi on Sunday.
Earlier, US President Joe Biden had also said last December that the AU could become a member of the G20.
Modi said, ‘Our approach is to give membership. From that perspective, we have invited the African Union to become a permanent member of the G20.
The G20 comprises 19 major economies of the world and the European Union. It accounts for about 85 percent of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP) and two-thirds of the world’s population. However, South Africa is the only G20 member from the African continent.
The G20 summit will be held next month on 9-10 September in New Delhi. It will meet leaders of the world’s major economies, including the United States and China.