When the world’s most powerful economies gather, the stakes are always high. But this year, the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, carries a special kind of weight—one shaped by history, geopolitics, and a continent’s persistent push for a louder voice on the global stage. On November 22-23, 2025, South Africa will host the G20 for the first time on African soil, a milestone that Brand SA CEO Neville Matjie described as “a huge accolade” for both the country and the continent, according to Business Day.
“The fact that the G20 has come to the African continent is a huge accolade,” Matjie said. “President [Cyril] Ramaphosa has always said the G20 is not just about SA. It’s about the whole continent.” For Matjie and many others, this is more than a ceremonial first—it’s a rare opportunity to reshape global perceptions and set a new agenda that reflects Africa’s priorities.
The summit’s theme, “Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability,” is no accident. As reported by France24 and echoed in a local opinion piece, South Africa’s presidency has placed debt restructuring for low-income countries, disaster resilience, and a just energy transition at the top of the agenda. These are not abstract priorities: between 2021 and 2023, Africa spent $70 per capita on debt interest payments, outstripping both education ($63) and health ($44), according to the United Nations. The numbers are stark, and the message is clear—debt relief is not just a talking point, but an economic imperative for much of the Global South.
But the G20 gathering in Johannesburg is not without controversy. Just ten days before the summit, U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly announced a boycott, withdrawing all U.S. government participation. His justification, posted on social media, cited alleged “human rights abuses” against Afrikaner farmers, claiming that “Afrikaners are being killed and slaughtered” in South Africa. The claims have been widely debunked by fact-checkers and dismissed as false by both South African officials and international observers. As France24 noted, Trump’s move is seen as part of a broader U.S. retreat from multilateralism, following previous decisions to withdraw from the Paris Agreement and skip the COP30 climate summit in Brazil.
The U.S. absence is particularly notable given its economic clout. The G20 represents 85 percent of global GDP and about two-thirds of the world’s population. Yet, President Ramaphosa was unfazed, telling reporters, “The US absence is their loss.” Brand SA’s Matjie echoed this sentiment, pointing to the robust turnout of other world leaders and private sector delegations. “Who is here? Who is supporting the G20 this year?” he asked. “The reality is, there are a lot of countries ... their presidents, their prime ministers are all coming to SA—not only by themselves as government delegations, [but] with their business delegations as well. The fact that they’re going to be here present, that, in itself, is a clear message.”
Beyond the political drama, the summit is expected to have tangible benefits for South Africa’s economy. Ntsikelelo Breakfast, acting head of the department of history and political studies at Nelson Mandela University, highlighted the positive “economic spillover effect” for ordinary South Africans, especially those providing accommodation and services to international delegates. “It feeds into the tourism sector that will contribute to the growth of the economy because the money is going to be kept in the country.... That is wonderful,” he told Business Day.
Brand SA’s Matjie stressed the importance of managing perceptions, especially in a week when the world’s gaze is fixed on Johannesburg. “We are a brand management company, which means we rely a lot on perceptions to influence how the brand performs,” he said. “With the G20 coming to SA … the spotlight will be on SA, which means that the management of perceptions is now very, very important, especially in light of the geopolitics.” For South Africa, the summit is a chance to signal that it is a safe and attractive destination for both investment and tourism, despite the swirl of geopolitical tension.
The summit’s agenda, shaped by South Africa, goes beyond economic orthodoxy. President Ramaphosa has called for the creation of an “International Inequalities Panel,” modeled after the IPCC for climate change, to address global inequality—a crisis that Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz and his team, in a report for the G20, have warned threatens democracy and social cohesion. “The richest 10% hold three-quarters of global wealth while one in four people face hunger,” Ramaphosa said. “Inequality is bad for everyone. It makes the world less stable, fuels conflict and undermines democracy.”
These are not easy topics, nor are they universally embraced. Earlier in the year, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio branded South Africa’s G20 agenda as “anti-American” and skipped a key ministerial meeting. Argentina’s President Javier Milei, a Trump ally, is also boycotting the summit, with his delegation reportedly obstructing preparatory work. Yet, even with these diplomatic snubs, the summit is set to draw leaders from Germany, China, Russia (represented by Maxim Oreshkin), and the European Union, as well as a significant contingent of private sector investors. China’s Premier Li Qiang is expected to champion multilateralism, declaring at a recent Asian summit, “Economic globalisation and multipolarity are irreversible.”
The timing of the Johannesburg summit is also symbolic. It comes just after the COP30 climate talks in Brazil and marks the end of a cycle of G20 presidencies by Global South countries—Indonesia, India, Brazil, and now South Africa. Next year, the baton passes to the United States, which has already announced plans to narrow the G20’s focus to economic cooperation at its December 2026 meeting, to be held at a Miami golf course owned by the Trump family.
Despite the political drama and the absence of some key players, many analysts believe the Johannesburg summit could be a turning point. As one opinion writer put it, “SA’s global standing, despite our deep-seated problems, has improved noticeably in 2025. If we pull off a great G20 summit, that profile will be enhanced further. If we also successfully reform our economy and our government, we will be the first African superpower soon enough.”
For South Africa, the G20 summit is more than a diplomatic gathering. It’s a chance to challenge old narratives, champion the interests of the Global South, and—perhaps most importantly—show the world what’s possible when solidarity, equality, and sustainability take center stage.
