The southern skyline of Africa’s economic powerhouse, Johannesburg, will be the setting of a gathering that brings together under one roof some of the most influential leaders of the world.
This coming weekend, the Nasrec Expo Centre hosts the 2025 G20 Leaders Summit, the first such gathering on African soil.
However, some powerful leaders will be skipping the event. They include US President Donald Trump, who has doubled down on his country’s cool relations with Pretoria to declare that no US officials would be participating.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who has an International Criminal Court warrant hanging over his head, will also not travel to Johannesburg. Argentinian President Javier Milei is the latest to pull out of the summit.
But more than 60 heads of state and government are expected to attend, from G20 heavyweights and other invited leaders of the Global South.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will lead proceedings, flanked by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz; French President Emmanuel Macron; and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer; India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi; Japan’s Shigeru Ishiba; and President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea will also be at the event.
The G20 — comprising 19 nations, the EU and the AU — represents more than 85% of global GDP and two-thirds of the world’s population and is the premier forum for tackling economic shocks, from pandemics to trade wars
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Indonesia’s Prabowo Subianto will also make the trip, alongside Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi attends as chair of Nepad, along with AU Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat.
UN boss António Guterres; the IMF’s Kristalina Georgieva; and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU Commission, have also confirmed their attendance.
Despite some of the high-profile withdrawals, South Africa’s Presidency, under the banner of “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability”, has promised to elevate pressing issues such as climate finance, food security, and inclusive growth.
The G20 — comprising 19 nations, the EU and the AU — represents more than 85% of global GDP and two-thirds of the world’s population and is the premier forum for tackling economic shocks, from pandemics to trade wars.
The summit arrives at a time of fractured geopolitical relations characterised by escalating conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, a splintering global trade order, and climate disasters disproportionately battering the developing world.
Sessions will grapple with global economic resilience, just energy transitions, and harnessing AI for sustainable development, as outlined by the various task forces that have been meeting to prepare for the summit.
South Africa has hosted more than 130 meetings across two main tracks:
- the Sherpa Track, which has 15 working groups focusing on broader socioeconomic issues; and
- the Finance Track, which includes seven working groups and three dedicated task forces that have tackled major issues affecting developing nations.
The G20 Finance Track, co-chaired by finance minister Enoch Godongwana and South African Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago, will report on work done in reshaping the international financial architecture, enhancing climate finance, debt sustainability, and simplifying cross-border payments.
The Business 20 (B20) gathering, representing the global business community, is a platform where business leaders, executives, and organisations from member countries, invited nations, and international bodies have been collaborating to develop policy recommendations on key economic, trade, and sustainability issues.
The City of Joburg has been busy upgrading key routes, traffic lights, and energy and water infrastructure in anticipation of the thousands of people expected. It has also announced road closures and lane restrictions on routes like the M1, Nasrec Road, and the Golden Highway.
Tightened security measures are in place on routes leading in and out of the OR Tambo International Airport. The city has issued advisories warning of potential delays due to heightened activity.
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