to announce The president of the United States, Joe Biden, who will support the accession of the African Union As a permanent member of the Group of Twenty, as part of Washington’s efforts to strengthen relations with a region that has fallen behind on other priorities in recent years.
Biden told a summit of US-African leaders on Thursday that his country looks forward to increased cooperation in all fields.
He added: “Africa is a party to the negotiations in every room … in every room where global challenges are discussed and in every institution where discussions are held,” noting that “raising the issue took a long time, but it has arrived.”
South Africa is currently the only African member of the G20.
The African Union is made up of 55 member states.
Leaders from 49 African countries and the African Union gathered in Washington this week for a three-day summit starting Tuesday that focused on climate change, food security, trade partnerships and other issues.
Biden’s statements and the conduct of the summit aim to consider the United States a partner of African countries in light of competition with China, which has sought to expand its influence in these countries by financing infrastructure projects on the continent and elsewhere.
China’s trade with Africa is about four times that of the United States.
Beijing has become a major lender by offering lower-interest loans, often with obscure terms and collateral requirements, than those offered by Western banks.
With the addition of the African Union to the Group of 20 major economies, one of the fastest growing regions in the world will have a say in the group.
The African Union’s acquisition of a seat in the Group of Twenty has helped some African countries, many of which are currently ineligible for debt treatment under the G20 plan, to advance their interests.
The United States on Thursday pledged an additional $2.5 billion in food aid to Africa after rising prices led to rising rates of undernourishment across the continent.
The White House said in a statement that the food finance will provide “emergency assistance and food security for Africa’s food systems and resilient supply markets over the medium to long term.”