Africa seeks bigger role on global stage

With this year's G20 summit set to take place in Africa — and with the African Union now a permanent member of the group — the AU Commission is aiming to advance Africa's interests on the global stage and push for policies that benefit the continent.

At his first news conference on Monday, AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said the organization is working with South Africa, which holds the G20 presidency this year, to ensure stronger African representation at the summit and in global economic governance.

"I have already sent a team to Angola for that purpose. Also, one of our commissioners has visited South Africa and discussed with the government on how best we can move forward with the African agenda through the platform," said Youssouf, who was elected head of the pan-African organization in February.

The AU will use the summit to call for reforms in the global financial system and push for greater resources to be directed toward strategic sectors in Africa — including infrastructure, agriculture and energy, he said.

"On G20, our priorities are clear: infrastructure and (more transparent) international financial architecture, ... where the AU is better represented, either in Bretton Woods institutions or other financial institutions."

The AU Commission looks forward to seeing Africa's global trade priorities elevated. It also seeks to spotlight the continent's economic blueprint — Agenda 2063 — including the full scope of its second 10-year implementation plan.

Spanning from 2024 to 2033, the plan outlines seven ambitions, or "moonshots", to guide the continent's development over the next decade.

Africa hopes to realize the aspirations for a prosperous, integrated and peaceful continent by 2063, Youssouf said, through collaborations with international partners such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, and the European Union.

New opportunities

Meanwhile, he described the latest tariffs imposed by the United States on African countries and the anticipated expiration of the African Growth and Opportunity Act as new opportunities to accelerate implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

The African Growth and Opportunity Act has granted several sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the US market, but its renewal — due before it expires in September — faces uncertainty amid growing protectionism in US.

In response, African government officials and experts have called for increasing intra-African trade, which currently makes up only a small portion of the continent's total trade volume.

"The commission is working with partners and stakeholders to create a conducive environment for the intra-African trade," Youssouf said.

"We see new opportunities for African countries to increase the level of intra-African trade, which is now around 18 percent."

He added that discussions between the AU Commission and the secretary-general of the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat are progressing. They are finalizing key mechanisms such as the Guided Trade Initiative, which has now expanded to more than 30 countries.

"It is a momentous opportunity for the African continent to step up the whole mechanism of creating conditions for better intra-African trade," Youssouf said.