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Introduction: Africa’s Moment in the G20 Spot-light

As the Group of Twenty (G20) presidency lands for the first time on African soil under South Africa (December 2024–November 2025), the continent faces an imperative question: will this presidency deliver real gains for Africa’s development, or will it continue business as usual? Among the central themes is debt sustainability and financing for development, the twin engines of Africa’s ability to progress or remain stalled. According to the G20’s own agenda, one of South Africa’s key priorities is “to ensure debt sustainability for low-income countries”.
Why the Debt Question Matters

Across Africa, debt is no longer just a macroeconomic issue, it is a development issue. When countries spend more servicing debt than building hospitals, schools or infrastructure, the very foundation of social and economic progress is eroded.

Moreover, while Africa’s share of industrial development and trade remains low trapping the continent in a model where rising debt undermines its capacity to transition to value?added growth, to invest in climate resilience, or to reduce inequality.
South Africa’s G20 Presidency: A Window of Opportunity

South Africa’s presidency has made debt justice one of its core pillars. The country has announced initiatives such as a high-level expert panel to tackle Africa’s debt crisis. The agenda emphasises:

    fairer treatment of sovereign credit ratings and cost of capital;

    reforms of the debt relief architecture ;

    mobilising finance for a just transition and development.

    The question is: will this translate into policy shifts and actionable gains for ordinary Africans?

The Inequality Link: Debt + Development = Justice

Debt and financing are not neutrally technical, they express power relations. Rich countries, private creditors, rating agencies and multilateral systems set the terms. For many African nations, that has meant high interest burdens, opaque restructuring processes, and conditionalities that shrink social spending.

When countries divert funds from education to interest payments, we see inequality being perpetuated. Heavily indebted developing countries cut social spending under debt burdens. Debt justice therefore is global justice: fairness in who pays, how, and for whose future.
What Africa Should Demand

To make this G20 presidency count, Africa must insist on:

    A unified voice: negotiating as one block through the African Union and regional economic communities, not fragmented states.

    Transparent debt processes: including creditor accountability, consistent restructuring timelines, and local ownership of outcomes.

    Investment in transformation: not just servicing debt, but using new financing to build industrialisation, climate resilient infrastructure and youth-led employment.

    Rebalanced global architecture: with reform of rating agencies, recognition of informal economies, and a shift from bailout to build-up.

The Development Dilemma: Who Pays?

If nothing changes, the burden will continue to fall on African citizens: children out of school, clinics underfunded, women bearing brunt of inequality. If something changes, Africa can flip the script: from debtor-continent to development-continent; from dependency to dignity.
Conclusion: Time for Africa to Assert Its Terms

The G20 2025 presidency offers a once-in-a-generation window for Africa to set its own terms for global engagement. But the clock is ticking. Debt, inequality and development must be tackled now, not just discussed.

As African women and youth leaders, we must step into the space, insist on justice, and demand that the spirit of Ubuntu,“I am because we are”, guide not just our rhetoric, but our outcomes.

    Debt justice is not charity. It is an exit strategy from inequality. And the G20 can either be the vehicle, or the missed chance.

Together, let’s ensure that Africa speaks with one voice at the G20 table,grounded in the spirit of Ubuntu and the vision of a truly multipolar world.