Johannesburg, South Africa – President Cyril Ramaphosa formally closed the G20 Leaders Summit in Johannesburg on Sunday, bringing an end to the first gathering of the bloc ever held on African soil while the United States remained absent.
The meeting concluded without any representation from Washington after President Donald Trump spent weeks challenging South Africa’s readiness to host the summit. Despite the tension and the absence of a key member, participating leaders reached consensus and adopted a joint declaration.
During his closing address, Ramaphosa thanked attending nations and said the summit showed that global partners can still cooperate during difficult periods. He placed Africa’s growth at the centre of the discussions, saying the continent holds vast potential for economic expansion in the twenty first century. He added that the world must work collectively to reduce poverty, narrow inequality, curb climate change and resolve conflicts.
Ramaphosa said many developing economies are struggling under growing debt and noted that the G20 has pledged support for low and middle income countries facing financial strain. He also offered well wishes to the US as it prepares to take over the G20 presidency.
South Africa’s minister of international relations and cooperation Ronald Lamola told reporters that the US will have to arrange a meeting with his department to collect the official handover documents. A ceremonial handover could not take place because no senior US official was present to receive the gavel.
Lamola said he did not believe the situation would further damage relations between Pretoria and Washington.
Political analyst Daniel Silke said South Africa gained major public relations value from hosting the summit, which placed African priorities at the forefront of global discussions. United Nations secretary general António Guterres also commended South Africa’s leadership, noting its drive to confront global inequality and uplift developing nations.
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