As the world turns its attention to Johannesburg for the G20 summit on November 22-23, 2025, a swirl of controversy and historic significance surrounds the event. For the first time, the Group of Twenty—one of the globe’s most influential economic forums—will convene on African soil. The summit, hosted by South Africa, was meant to be a proud moment for the continent, spotlighting Africa’s emergence as a new economic frontier and a vital player in global affairs. But the absence of the United States, led by President Donald Trump’s high-profile boycott, has cast a long shadow over the proceedings.
President Trump, breaking with years of tradition, announced that neither he nor any US official would attend the summit. Initially, Vice President JD Vance was slated to represent the US, but that plan was swiftly reversed. Trump’s justification? He claimed that white South Africans, particularly Afrikaners, are being persecuted and that their land is being confiscated without compensation—a set of allegations that South Africa has repeatedly denounced as “widely discredited and unsupported by reliable evidence.” According to the BBC, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa didn’t mince words in response, stating, “boycott politics doesn’t work,” and declaring that the US’s “absence is their loss.”
Ramaphosa, speaking outside parliament, further stressed, “Washington is giving up the very important role that they should be playing as the biggest economy in the world.” South Africa’s government, echoing these sentiments, described Trump’s remarks and the withdrawal as “regrettable,” firmly rejecting the notion that white farmers have had their land confiscated without compensation. The South African delegation emphasized that the allegations of “white genocide” are not supported by credible international observers, including some Afrikaner groups themselves.
The controversy didn’t emerge in a vacuum. Trump’s rhetoric on African governance has grown sharper in recent months. Just last week, he threatened Nigeria with possible military action over what he called “Christian persecution” in the country’s north—a move that further strained diplomatic ties between Washington and Abuja. Senior US political figures, meanwhile, have urged Trump to focus on domestic economic issues, cautioning that such inflammatory foreign policy stances could undermine America’s engagement with Africa on trade, investment, and security.
Despite these tensions, South African officials and international partners remain determined to ensure the summit’s success. Anil Sooklal, South Africa’s High Commissioner to India, voiced optimism about the summit’s prospects, telling attendees at the “G20@20: Africa’s Moment – The Once and Future World Order” conference in New Delhi, “The G20 is too big to fail.” Sooklal acknowledged that the US boycott posed “a new challenge” for South Africa’s G20 presidency but insisted that the summit would be substantive in addressing key global challenges.
At the heart of the Johannesburg summit’s agenda are issues that resonate deeply across the Global South: inclusive growth, the inequality emergency, the climate emergency, and the financial emergency. Eminent speakers at the New Delhi conference—including Indian MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney, India’s Sou Sherpa Shambhu Hakki, Australia’s High Commissioner Peter Green, and Brazil’s Ambassador Kenneth Nobrega—rallied behind South Africa’s leadership and the summit’s core priorities.
Shambhu Hakki, India’s G20 sous sherpa, described the Johannesburg meeting as “a proud moment for Africa and for South Africa.” He pledged India’s support for South Africa’s G20 presidency, emphasizing New Delhi’s role as a consensus-builder in a world riven by crises. “We are hopeful that together we will be able to deliver ambitious outcomes for the Global South in the upcoming G20 Leaders’ Summit,” Hakki said. He added, “Most of global growth today is driven by the Global South. The G20 should remain sensitive to the issues and barriers faced by developing countries.”
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend, underlining the importance of South-South cooperation. Hakki also made it clear that India would continue to amplify the cause of the Global South in future G20 presidencies. This sentiment was echoed by Vikramjit Singh Sahney, who called for enhanced coordination and cooperation among G20 economies to foster growth and opportunity. “As the first G20 Summit on African soil, the spotlight is on Africa as the new economic frontier—a continent of hope, dynamism, and new opportunities,” Sahney said. “We in India are excited about Africa’s emergence as the world’s next growth frontier and take pride in the success stories emerging from this rising continent.”
Brazil’s Ambassador to India, Kenneth Nobrega, stressed the need for the G20 to continue focusing on the priorities of the Global South even after the presidency transitions to developed countries. “Many of the challenges of the developing world are increasingly intertwined with those of the developed world. The Global South is producing solutions that are equally valuable to the North, particularly in areas such as the climate crisis,” he said.
Australia’s High Commissioner Philip Green threw his weight behind climate action and the preservation of the global trading system. “The WTO may have imperfections, but it remains indispensable. Reform it, yes—but preserve it,” Green asserted, highlighting the interconnectedness of global economic institutions.
Manish Chand, CEO of the Centre for Global India Insights, captured the mood of cautious optimism: “As a new world order emerges, the world will have to deal with interlocking emergencies—climate emergency, financial emergency, and inequality emergency. We need to find a new vocabulary of optimism and renewal to navigate this complex and conflicted world, and this is where the G20 summit in Johannesburg matters.”
South Africa’s growing role in BRICS—an economic bloc that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—has also been a point of friction with Washington. Some in the US view BRICS as a challenge to the dominance of the US dollar and Western-led global governance. However, for many African and developing countries, this shift represents a chance to assert new voices and priorities on the world stage.
While Trump’s absence is notable, the overwhelming consensus among G20 participants and observers is that the summit will proceed with focus and determination. As Sooklal put it, “We may face challenges, but I firmly believe the G20 remains a powerful force—the only platform, given the weaknesses of the global multilateral system, that bridges the North and South.”
With the summit’s agenda set to tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues—inequality, climate change, and economic instability—Johannesburg is poised to make history. Whether the US chooses to engage or remain on the sidelines, the message from Africa and its partners is clear: the G20 is moving forward, and the world is watching.
