News Briefs 02 May 2025
The G20 Presidency of South Africa
G20 EC chapter | Ndabeni engages township entrepreneurs
As G20 events continue countrywide, the Eastern Cape leg of the G20 provincial launch has wrapped up in New Brighton, Gqeberha.
Small Business Development Minister Stella Ndabeni led conversations on the informal and township economies, which are aimed at boosting growth.
But not everyone is pleased.
Ndabeni admits that excessive red tape hinders access to government funding, but says her department has created a funding policy to simplify the process for small businesses.
eNCA 01 May 2025
South Africa advocates for new energy transition strategies at G20 meeting
Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientso Ramokgopa has put forth a bold proposal aimed at rethinking the global approach to energy finance.
Speaking on the G20 Transition Working Group, Ramokgopa urged the Summit to consider practical frameworks for concessional financing, de-risking energy infrastructure, and unlocking transmission grids—all crucial enablers for fostering inclusive growth across the globe.
Speaking at the second day of the G20 Electricity Energy Summit in Cape Town, which focused on global energy efficiency strategies and affordability challenges, Ramokgopa said these were not abstract goals but preconditions for energy justice.
Ramokgopa said the G20 countries were the next frontier of opportunity, representing more than 85% of global GDP and nearly 80% of global emissions, which brought responsibility, not only to immediate constituencies, but to the billions of people whose fates were shaped by the decisions.
IOL 02 May 2025
G20 revisits Just Energy Plan for inclusive transition
Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says South Africa and other G20 countries are going back to the drawing board to improve the Just Energy Transition plan.
“There is a growing consensus that the energy transition must be a development project. It cannot simply be about decarbonising the global economy.”
“It must also enable nations to industrialise, create jobs, and expand the reach of human development,” Ramokgopa said at the second G20 Energy Transition Working Group in Cape Town on Thursday.
He said there is a need to assess how developing nations move towards clean energy, with help from wealthier countries.
East Coast Radio 02 May 2025
Credit rating agencies like S&P Global and Fitch have an outsized influence on the economic fortunes of developing countries. Their assessments shape investor perceptions, influence borrowing costs, and ultimately shape a country’s development path. With many African countries now issuing bonds in global markets amid falling levels of official development assistance (ODA), their role is coming under increasing scrutiny.
The major credit rating agencies exist to opine on the likelihood that a debtor (say, a country) will repay their creditors on time and in full. They are rated on a sliding scale. Whenever a rating agency believes that a debtor will not meet their obligations, they are obliged to put that debtor into a ‘default’ rating. This means that the debtor can no longer access private financing.
The negative role of rating agencies has been felt in other ways, too. For example, threats of downgrades have also led to developing countries steering away from seeking debt relief under a recently introduced G20-initiated debt treatment programme. The reason is that getting help would mean that sovereign debtors have to restructure their debts. But credit rating agencies have warned that doing this will likely lead countries to be given a ‘default’ rating.
Danial Cash, The Conversation 21 April 2025
SA ready to welcome visitors for G20 summit
The eyes of the world are firmly focused on South Africa as the President of the G20 and the host nation of the G20 Summit in November.
This gathering will see the country welcoming over 40 global heads of state to our shores. The G20 accounts for 85 per cent of the global economy, 75 per cent of international trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.
The summit will be held under the theme “Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability,” which aligns with our vision of inclusive growth, where all individuals and nations benefit from economic progress.
As the first African nation to host the G20, South Africa will highlight issues such as economic inequality, development, climate change, and fair-trade practices. The platform of the G20 will also help to further connect countries on the continent and beyond.
The G20 is centred on creating a secure foundation for global economic stability, which is a vital catalyst for economic development and in implementing far-reaching global commitments such as the Pact for the Future and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Agenda 2030).
SA Government News 30 April 2025
South Africa Hosts Historic G20 Development Working Group Meeting on African Soil
The Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) proudly hosted the Second G20 Development Working Group (DWG) Meeting from 14 to 16 April 2025 in Somerset West, Western Cape – marking the first time the DWG has convened on African soil. This historic gathering, held under South Africa’s G20 Presidency theme of Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability, brought together G20 member states, invited countries, and international organisations to tackle pressing global development challenges.
Opening the session, Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Ms Maropene Ramokgopa, urged delegates to focus on tangible action.
“Our task is not to produce text for its own sake, but to drive tangible progress,” said Minister Ramokgopa. “We must focus on catalytic, transformative outcomes that uplift the most vulnerable and reaffirm the G20’s commitment to solidarity, equality, and sustainability.”
A highlight of the engagement was a powerful visit to Robben Island, offering delegates a poignant reminder of South Africa’s long-standing commitment to justice, dignity, and unity in the face of adversity.
G20.org 30 April 2025
Mashatile urges unity for Africa’s future at T20 gathering
Deputy President Paul Mashatile emphasised that a fair, transparent, and inclusive global order is crucial for economic stability and long-term growth, warning that undermining multilateralism threatens Africa’s stability.
“We should take a dim view and strongly discourage the erosion of multilateralism, as it poses a potential threat to global growth and stability,” Mashatile said.
The deputy president was addressing the T20 Africa High-Level Dialogue at the CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, on Tuesday.
Themed “Strengthening African Agency in the G20 Within the Global Order”, the dialogue was aimed at promoting cooperation between nations and also making Africa stronger and greater.
Mashatile stressed that the ongoing trade tensions may result in rising cost of living, due to increased prices, particularly for manufactured goods.
IOL 30 April 2025