India hosted the 18th G20 summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi in September 2023, when the African Union was added as a permanent member of the group. Ramaphosa said South Africa had closely watched India’s stewardship of the group in 2023.
As Africa hosted the G20 summit for the first time, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa admitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi — half joking, half serious — that the task was far more daunting than anticipated. “Maybe we would have run away,” he said, opening their bilateral talks in Johannesburg.
In his opening remarks at delegation-level talks with the Indian side, Ramaphosa thanked New Delhi for its support as Pretoria took on the presidency.
“Thank you for the support that India has given to South Africa in hosting G20…You should have told us that it is such a difficult task, maybe we would have run away,” Ramaphosa said with a laugh. PM Modi and other delegates in the room also laughed at the remark.
Ramaphosa said South Africa had closely watched India’s stewardship of the group in 2023. “We have learned a lot from your hosting of the G20 and yours was spectacular… building ours is really small,” he said. PM Modi immediately replied: “Small is always beautiful.”
India hosted the 18th G20 summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi in September 2023, when the African Union was added as a permanent member of the group.
INDIA, BRAZIL, INDONESIA SET FOUNDATION FOR SA G20: RAMAPHOSA
Following the talks, Ramaphosa said in his closing address that India, Brazil and Indonesia had laid the foundation for South Africa’s G20 presidency.
“We learnt a lot from what Indonesia, India and Brazil did. In many ways, what we see having unfolded here was based on the foundations that those three countries of the Global South put in place,” he said.
“Our agreement on a Declaration during this summit demonstrates the value of the G20 as a forum that can facilitate joint action on issues of shared concern not only for the leaders, but shared concern for the peoples of the world. More than that, it reaffirms our renewed commitment to multilateral cooperation and our recognition that our shared goals outweigh our differences,” the president added.
Ramaphosa thanked all G20 members and invited guests for their presence, saying their commitment had been vital “in reaffirming the G20 as the premier forum for international economic cooperation”.
Setting out South Africa’s priorities, he reaffirmed that “the greatest opportunity for prosperity in the 21st century lies in Africa”, and said Pretoria had “sought to place Africa’s growth and development at the heart of the G20’s agenda”.
