President Ramaphosa to Receive Landmark G20 Africa Expert Panel Report

President Cyril Ramaphosa will today, 18 November 2025, receive the much-anticipated G20 Africa Expert Panel Report during an official handover ceremony at the Wanderers Hotel in Johannesburg.

The event marks a defining moment in South Africa’s G20 Presidency, the first time in history that the majority of G20 engagements for an entire Presidency cycle have been hosted on African soil. This unprecedented milestone has positioned South Africa to elevate Africa’s developmental priorities within the highest levels of global economic decision-making.

In support of this mandate, Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana convened the G20 Africa Expert Panel, chaired by former Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel. The panel was tasked with developing evidence-based recommendations to strengthen Africa’s influence within the G20 Finance Track and to ensure that African interests are reflected in global economic reforms.

The panel comprises 26 eminent experts from across the world, including 20 from the African continent. Their backgrounds span economics, public policy, development finance, and academia, bringing together a diverse pool of insight aimed at crafting a unified African voice on global economic matters.

At the core of its mandate, the Panel sought to identify and refine strategies that enhance Africa’s collective representation, expand its influence within global governance structures, and support the creation of a more inclusive international economic architecture.

The resulting G20 Africa Expert Panel Report represents a major achievement of South Africa’s Presidency. It puts forward practical and actionable proposals to help reshape global economic policy, with a particular focus on building a more equitable financial system.

Among the key recommendations are frameworks for addressing Africa’s mounting debt burdens, improving access to long-term development finance, and strengthening the global financial safety net to better support vulnerable economies. The report also emphasises the importance of positioning Africa not as a passive recipient of development assistance, but as an active and strategic participant in shaping global economic rules and norms.

The handover of the report to President Ramaphosa underscores South Africa’s commitment to championing Africa’s interests on the world stage. It reinforces the country’s role in ensuring that the voices, aspirations, and developmental challenges of African nations are central to ongoing global economic reform efforts.

Today’s ceremony is expected to set the tone for the remaining months of South Africa’s G20 Presidency as it works to translate the Panel’s recommendations into meaningful action, both within the G20 and across the African continent.