The G20’s South African presidency marks a pivotal moment for Africa to shape the global agenda. It calls on business—locally and globally—to move from commitment to action, forging partnerships that drive shared growth, strengthen multilateral cooperation, and accelerate a just, inclusive transition.
As the G20 convenes on African soil for the first time, the world’s attention is fixed on a continent whose future is inseparable from global progress. This is not just a diplomatic milestone; it is a defining opportunity for Africa to shape the global agenda and for business to step up as a true partner in delivering transformative change.
With the United Nations marking its 80th anniversary and the Sustainable Development Goals at risk of falling short, the stakes have never been higher. Africa’s G20 moment demands more than rhetoric; it calls for bold, coordinated action from the private sector, working alongside governments and communities to unlock the continent’s extraordinary potential.
The G20 economies—representing nearly 85 per cent of global GDP and two-thirds of the world’s population—hold the decisive power to drive systemic change. But the true test of this bloc’s influence lies in its ability to mobilise the private sector’s capital, innovation, and resolve. Without business at the table, transformation at the scale and speed required will remain elusive.
South Africa’s presidency is more than symbolic; it is a generational chance to focus on the Africa’s realities and aspirations whilst also reframing the continent’s role—not as a region of problems, but as a source of solutions and a vital partner in shaping the global future. The continent’s demographic dynamism, renewable energy potential, and digital innovation are poised to drive global growth, yet persistent challenges—energy access, youth unemployment, and inequality—demand urgent, collective action.
The B20, as the official G20 engagement group for business, brings the voice and expertise of the private sector to the heart of global economic governance. It is in this context that the South Africa Business Initiative for Impact (SABII) emerges as a powerful platform for action. SABII, anchored in the Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI), is convening leaders from business, government, and development to co-create solutions and drive measurable progress across digitisation, energy transition, food systems transformation, and human capital development. This year’s launch of the SABII is strategically timed to align with the B20 and G20 Summits, serving as a bridge between African business leadership and the global private sector.
The imperative for action is clear. Today’s interconnected headwinds—geopolitical fragmentation, a fast-changing global trade environment, rapid technological disruption, widening inequality, and an escalating climate crisis—are reshaping the operating landscape and financial fundamentals for business worldwide. Private investment depends on predictable rules, stable markets, and open flows of trade and capital. Africa’s trajectory and stability directly influence these fundamentals.
Africa offers outsized opportunity: the world’s greatest renewable energy potential critical to the net-zero transition, some of the fastest-growing cities, an integrated AfCFTA market, and a rapidly expanding digital economy. Yet more than 600 million Africans still lack access to electricity and youth unemployment remains acute. For global investors, it is a dual reality—extraordinary, unrealised growth alongside untapped potential. South Africa’s G20 presidency is the forum to unlock the opportunity while de-risking the challenge through partnership and investment.
Africa’s demographic and economic trajectory is not merely a regional story; it is a fundamental driver of global growth. The continent’s population is projected to double by 2050, with one in four people set to be African by then. This staggering youth dividend is translating into economic power, with consumer spending expected to reach $2.5 trillion by 2030. Furthermore, the operationalisation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) promises a $3.4 trillion integrated market, positioning the continent as the next great growth engine for the world economy.
Indeed, African business is already leading the charge. Enterprises across the continent are not waiting for governments or international bodies to act; they are mobilising now, recognising that sustainable growth is the only kind of growth. This commitment is evidenced by robust engagement in global and continental sustainability initiatives, including the UN Global Compact, which counts more than 1,100 participating companies across 45 African countries advancing the SDGs and Agenda 2063.
Since 2022, GABI has convened dozens of heads of state, hundreds of CEOs and more than 10,000 participants to showcase the continent’s resources and innovation to the world. Similarly, the African Business Leaders Coalition (ABLC) brings together over 70 chief executives representing nearly one million employees and $165 billion in annual revenues. These leaders are acting collectively on critical issues like climate resilience, gender equality, and sustainable supply chains. Their combined leverage demonstrates that African business is already mobilising capital, sharing best practices, and shaping solutions from the ground up. The G20 is therefore not a starting point, but the global stage to scale this proven leadership and forge the partnerships needed to move from commitment to tangible, transformative action.
The South African G20 presidency provides a moment of undeniable clarity. Africa is no longer on the periphery of global decision-making but firmly at its centre. The legitimacy of the G20 will not be measured by the eloquence of its final communiqués but by the tangible progress it makes, especially in addressing the systemic and future-focused challenges facing the global economy.
With global growth and resilience increasingly dependent on Africa’s dynamism, this moment demands that business—both African and international—step forward as a proactive partner in shaping the rules and structures of tomorrow’s economy. To turn ambition into outcomes, business must mobilise and de-risk private capital for sustainable infrastructure. The G20 can catalyse this by backing blended-finance vehicles, first-loss guarantees, and project-preparation facilities that crowd in pensions and insurers—prioritising renewables, resilient transport, and digital connectivity to power AfCFTA trade.
Finally, the private sector must intentionally scale up investments for people and planet, actively contribute to advancing sustainable development, advocate for future-proofing global governance, pushing for necessary reforms in the global financial architecture and trade policies that truly represent the interests of the Global South, ensuring stable, rules-based markets that benefit all nations and all citizens.
As we celebrate the UN’s 80th year, let us seize this moment to forge a new social contract between business, government, and society. The opportunity to unlock decades of sustainable growth is real. The stakes for global stability are high. Businesses must seize the opportunity.
Sanda Ojiambo, CEO and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact. Nelson Muffuh, UN Resident Coordinator, South Africa
