Consistent with the South African Presidency’s intent to draw attention and Group of 20 (G20) consideration to African policy challenges in 2025, an Africa Expert Panel has been established.

While, at the global level, there have been quite a few initiatives launched, such as the Jubilee 2000 Debt campaign to address global country debt levels, the Africa Expert Panel will specifically consider matters as they relate to Africa.

This comes at a time when Africa grapples with an unprecedented debt crisis, according to the National Treasury.

Treasury points out that African countries will, this year, pay close to $89-billion in external debt service alone, with 20 low-income countries at risk of debt distress.

It notes that more than half of Africa’s 1.3-billion people live in countries that spend more on interest payments than on social issues such as health, education and infrastructure.

“The high level of debt is unsustainable and undermines efforts towards sustainable development and poverty alleviation. There is a need for bold and urgent action on a comprehensive plan to deal with the high levels of debt of Africa and other developing countries,” Treasury says.

It expresses that South Africa’s Presidency of the G20 presents an opportunity for African countries to advance issues affecting the continent which will be achieved through dialogue and collaboration among African member States’ public sector, think tanks, and organised businesses to articulate common positions and priorities within the G20 framework.

The overall objective of the Africa Expert Panel, says Treasury, is to offer strategic advice by exploring and defining strategies that advance Africa’s collective developmental interests through increased voice, effective representation and the achievement of a reformed and all-inclusive global economic policy through the G20.

The specific objectives of the panel include utilising South Africa’s Presidency of the G20 to advance Africa's developmental agenda; serve as a forum for in-depth and structured discussions on emerging global and domestic developments, and economic and development policies; produce a set of policy recommendations for each priority area, which the relevant Finance Track focus area could consider; and build a knowledge base of policy and implementation lessons and best practices through the development of concept notes.

Objectives also include catalysing consensus on African priorities with concrete strategies and recommendations to enhance Africa's participation and influence in the G20; acting as a platform for in-depth and structured discussions on emerging global and domestic developments and economic and development policies, and facilitating policy coherence; and offering strategic advice to aid in making the most informed decisions about economic policy and development issues affecting Africa.

Additionally, the panel aims to facilitate Africa’s access to expert knowledge and experience in economic policymaking to improve the quality of African economic policy design, implementation, and impact and better inform the public narrative on economic policy success and shortcomings; and build a knowledge base of policy and implementation lessons and best practices.

“The Africa Expert Panel will ensure we advance an African perspective in identifying key priorities for the continent’s developmental interests in areas relevant to the work of the G20 Finance Track,” says Treasury.

Overall, the Africa Expert Panel will be driven by evidence-based dialogue and the development of strategic policy directions while encouraging collaboration among diverse interest groups.

It notes that this should help ensure better coordination and alignment between South Africa's and the African Union's positions. The Africa Expert Panel will produce a High-Level Report with its key recommendations.

Panel members include:

• Old Mutual board chairperson Trevor Manuel;
• Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (secretariat) executive director Joel Netshitenzhe;
• African Development Bank (AfDB) officer in charge macroeconomic policy, debt sustainability and forecasting Anthony Musonda Simpasa;
• Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, University of Cape Town (UCT) honorary professor Carlos Lopes;
• AfriCatalyst (Senegal) CEO Daouda Sembene;
• Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa (Sierra Leone) professor in practice and strategic director David Luke;
• SouthBridge chairperson and managing partner Donald Kaberuka;
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Esther Duflo; 
• World Bank chief economist and Paris School of Economics director François Bourguignon;
• United Nations Economic Commission for Africa chief economist Hanan Morsy;
• Development Reimagined CEO Hannah Ryder;
• Bureau for Economic Research, Stellenbosch University professor and director Johann Kirsten;
• AfDB professor and chief economist Kevin Urama;
• Investec’s Kuben Naidoo;
• Center for Global Development president Emeritus Masood Ahmed;  
• Research chair: Poverty and Inequality Research, University of Cape Town professor Murray Leibbrandt;
• Blavatnik School, Oxford dean Ngaire Woods;
• Kenya Reserve Bank former governor Patrick Njoroge;
• Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, UCT professor Alan Hirsch;
• mPedigree (Ghana) president Bright Simons;
• University of Johannesburg professor of economics Fiona Tregenna;
• Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies senior economist Neva Makgetla;
• ODI deputy CE and MD Hans Peter Lankes.

“On behalf of the people of South Africa, I want to thank each panel member for accepting the invitation to serve on the Africa Expert Panel. I am confident that the insights and expertise of each panel member will assist in shaping Africa’s economic, development and financial engagements within such an international and systemic forum as the G20,” says Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana.

The Government of South Africa assumed the G20 Presidency from the beginning of December 2024 until the end of November 2025.

The G20 comprises 19 of the world’s most systemically important countries, the African Union and the EU.

Its work proceeds through the G20 Finance and Sherpa Tracks and culminates in an annual Summit of G20 leaders.

The G20 Presidency and most of its meetings for 2025 are being held for the first time on African soil and provide a unique opportunity for the Government of South Africa to focus during its G20 Presidency on issues pertinent to Africa.

To date, during South Africa’s Presidency, the Finance Track has hosted several in-person and virtual meetings.

A broad range of issues were discussed in both sessions. The discussions were constructive and robust. G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors discussed the annual work programmes of the Finance Track working groups for 2025.