For the first time in history the G20 Leader’s Summit is being held on African soil in 2025, with SA holding the G20 presidency.
This milestone is more than symbolic — it is a defining moment and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take up Africa’s role in global finance.
It signals a shift from wanting a seat at the table to [influencing outcomes], as the African continent moves from acceptance of the status quo to driving the agenda to make our global financial system more equitable, fair and just.
The Global South is pushing for a more equitable world order, as the effects of climate change and systematic under-development play out. Africa would like to be a co-creator of the rules that will define our future, with our vast infrastructure backlogs and the spin-offs of poverty and under-development, such as political and fiscal instability.
Africa’s development challenges are well known. It is estimated that the continent needs up to $170bn in infrastructure investment each year, yet it faces an annual shortfall of $100bn. These are not just technical deficits —they are also barriers to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Finance is an essential component to changing this reality. But the changes needed must be transformational for the people of Africa.
At Nedbank, as a purpose-led organisation, we have had a clear north star in directing R189bn of our lending book towards SDG-aligned investments. This includes R47bn in renewable energy, R29bn in agriculture, and R3bn in water and sanitation. These investments are designed to build resilience, unlock opportunity, and support inclusive growth.
Finance must do more than move money — it must move societies forward, address political instability on the continent, and contribute to a more inclusive world premised on the values of this year’s G20 theme: “Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability”.
From inclusion to influence
The shift from inclusion to influence is not theoretical; this G20 experience has shown it is happening in real time.
Under SA’s G20 leadership, African policymakers and financial institutions have had the opportunity to co-create a new framework that reflects our own regional and local realities that inform our priorities.
Across the continent, collaboration has become central to the progress we wish to see. African development and commercial finance institutions have become stronger through the sharing of expertise, blended finance and the conviction that sustainable development cannot take place without solidarity.
In other words, it is important that those of us for whom the constraints facing the Global South are familiar be at the forefront of the deals being negotiated to achieve a better future.
At Nedbank our partnerships across SADC and East Africa are built on this principle. We focus on markets we know, ensuring that capital is being directed to programmes that put Africa’s best interests at the centre of its key performance indicators.
But addressing Africa’s infrastructure backlogs and the achievement of the UN SDGs will be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve without the reform of our financial systems.
Rebuilding Africa’s growth confidence
SA’s G20 presidency arrives at a moment of several competing interests. Fiscal constraints, climate commitments and rapid digital shifts are sharpening our resilience in different ways, often all at once.
SA’s GDP rose just 0.8% quarter-on-quarter in Q2 of 2025, a sobering reminder of the work ahead. Yet there are signs of recovery. With repo rates down to 7%, conditions are improving for investment and credit growth, while corporate advances have increased by 8.1%, indicating renewed private-sector demand.
The choices made now will determine not just how Africa grows, but how global markets adapt to that growth. What matters most is whether we continue to finance other people’s priorities or build a future that reflects our own.
Confidence will define the decade ahead. Investors and citizens alike are looking for proof: policy that holds, decisions that make sense and delivery that inspires belief.
Across our network, that confidence is already visible. Capital is beginning to follow credibility rather than speculation, a quiet shift that few have yet priced in.
Africa’s message to the world
Africa’s message to the world is clear. We are capable, credible and collaborative. We are not waiting for change; we would like to co-create the development we need through innovation, investment and inclusive leadership. The strength of our financial institutions gives substance to this progress.
Our purpose — as Nedbank and the continent — remains constant: to use our financial expertise to do good for our people, for the planet and for our shared prosperity.
This article was sponsored by Nedbank.
