President Ramaphosa Appoints Professor Mariana Mazzucato to Key G20 Taskforce

Johannesburg – Monday, 7 April 2025

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the appointment of world-renowned economist Professor Mariana Mazzucato as a Technical Expert to South Africa’s G20 Presidency and his Special Presidential Representative to Taskforce 1: Inclusive Economic Growth, Industrialisation, Employment, and Reduced Inequality.

Professor Mazzucato will also lend her expertise to Taskforce 3, which focuses on Artificial Intelligence, Data Governance, and Innovation for Sustainable Development. In addition, she will support the Sherpa Track’s Trade and Investment Working Group, and the Finance Track’s Sustainable Finance and International Financial Architecture Working Groups.

A member of President Ramaphosa’s Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) since 2019, Professor Mazzucato has played a pivotal role in advising on key areas such as green industrial strategy, enhancing state capacity, and reforming state-owned enterprises. Her thought leadership has been instrumental in shaping South Africa’s economic policy landscape.

Her latest appointment highlights South Africa’s intent to leverage its G20 Presidency to advance a global agenda centered on solidarity, equality, and sustainability. In 2024, Professor Mazzucato co-chaired Brazil’s G20 Task Force for the Global Mobilisation Against Climate Change (TF-CLIMA), further cementing her standing as a leading global thinker on mission-driven innovation and public value creation.

President Ramaphosa emphasized that her appointment reinforces South Africa’s commitment to inclusive growth, green industrialisation, and long-term structural transformation.

“Professor Mazzucato’s unique insights on rethinking the role of the state and her unwavering advocacy for sustainable, inclusive economic development make her an invaluable asset to our G20 Presidency,” said President Ramaphosa.

South Africa’s G20 Presidency comes at a crucial time, with global leaders converging in Johannesburg later this year under the unifying theme: “Solidarity. Equality. Sustainability.” The country is set to play a leading role in driving meaningful dialogue and action on issues that matter most to the Global South.

This year also marks a significant milestone for global cooperation, with the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, the Financing for Development Conference in Seville, and COP30 in Belém forming what President Ramaphosa, President Lula da Silva of Brazil, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain have called “a pivotal year for multilateralism.”

With Professor Mazzucato’s expertise at the helm of key G20 structures, South Africa is poised to shape a new era of global economic governance—one rooted in equity, resilience, and shared prosperity.