Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday expressed support for the African Union's admission to the Group of 20 most powerful industrial nations (G20), the country's Foreign Ministry said.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th December, 2022) Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday expressed support for the African Union's admission to the Group of 20 most powerful industrial nations (G20), the country's Foreign Ministry said.
On November 16, French President Emmanuel Macron supported the African Union's membership in the G20, a call which was echoed on December 15 by US President Joe Biden, who asked the bloc to join G20 as a permanent member.
"Prime Minister Kishida announced that Japan supports the joining of the African Union to G20, based on the belief that it is important for Africa to expand its presence in the G20 in light of the increasing role of African countries in the international community in recent years," the ministry said in a statement.
The G20 is an intergovernmental forum comprised of 19 states and the European Union. The forum accounts for 85% of the global GDP, 75% of international trade and two-thirds of the world population. The G20 says it seeks to address major issues pertaining to the global economy, including international financial stability and sustainable development.
The 55-member African Union is one of the largest regional blocs in the world. It was established in 2002 as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), as the need arose to refocus attention from the fight for decolonization and ridding the continent of apartheid, which had been the focus of the OAU, to increasing the cooperation and integration of African states to stimulate Africa's growth and economic development.
The G20 has already implemented several projects with African countries. Thus, in 2017, the German presidency of the group launched the G20 Compact with Africa initiative to attract private investment in participating African nations by carrying out reforms to improve the business climate there. The project involves international organizations and partners within and outside the G20, as well as twelve participating states which include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo, and Tunisia.
