When you hear G20 Summit, a gathering of the world’s 20 largest economies that sets global economic policy. Also known as the Group of Twenty, it’s where leaders from countries like the U.S., China, Germany, and Brazil decide on things like taxes, trade, and climate funding — decisions that ripple down to small businesses in Durban, farmers in KwaZulu-Natal, and fishermen off the Mozambique coast. But here’s the thing: Africa only has two permanent seats — South Africa and Nigeria. That means over a billion people across the continent often get left out of the room where the rules are made.
That’s not just unfair — it’s costly. When the G20 agrees on debt relief for poor countries, it rarely includes the specific conditions African nations need to rebuild after climate disasters or currency crashes. When they talk about clean energy, they push solar panels made in Germany or batteries from China — not the local startups in Lagos or Cape Town trying to build their own. And when they set global trade rules, tariffs on African goods like coffee, cashew, or textiles stay high while European and American products flood in for free. The global economics, the system that moves money, goods, and power between nations isn’t broken — it’s built this way.
But change is creeping in. South Africa’s participation in the G20 isn’t just ceremonial. It’s a platform to push for African representation, fairer debt terms, and tech partnerships that don’t just extract data but build local skills. Nigeria’s leaders use the summit to demand better access to global finance for small farmers. And when the G20 talks about AI or digital currencies, African countries are finally asking: Who gets to design this? Who owns it? The international policy, the rules and agreements made by governments to manage global issues isn’t written in stone — it’s written by people. And more Africans are showing up to write it.
Below, you’ll find stories that connect the G20’s big decisions to real life on the ground. From how a climate fund announcement in New Delhi affects a surf shop in Durban, to how a trade deal signed in Riyadh impacts a fisherman in Maputo. These aren’t distant politics — they’re your economy, your future, your waves.
G20 Summit road closures from November 15–23, 2025, will disrupt Hendrik Potgieter Road and key Gauteng highways, affecting commuters across Johannesburg, Tshwane, and Ekurhuleni as South Africa hosts global leaders.
