Ramaphosa to officially open G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Johannesburg

President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to officially open and address the highly anticipated Group of 20 (G20) Foreign Ministers' meeting on Thursday afternoon in Johannesburg.

The two-day event, hosted by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola, will be held at Nasrec Expo Centre, from February 20 to 21.

The meeting is part of South Africa's G20 Presidency, which carries the theme of “Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability".

South Africa’s G20 Presidency began in December 2024, with the country scheduled to host approximately 130 working group meetings and 23 meetings at ministerial level throughout 2025.

Vincent Magwenya, the Presidency spokesperson, said the Foreign Ministers' meeting will focus on global geopolitical dynamics and review South Africa’s G20 Presidency High-Level Deliverables, as well as the G20’s impact over the two decades.

“G20 Summits of heads of state and government bring together leaders from the world’s largest economies to address pressing global challenges and foster economic cooperation,” Magwenya said.

Since its formation in 2008, the G20 has evolved from a crisis-management platform to a broader forum addressing financial stability, climate change, sustainable development, and global health.

During its presidency, South Africa is prioritising Africa’s development, with a focus on the African Union Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, outlined the country’s three key priorities: inclusive economic growth, industrialisation, employment and reducing inequality, food security and artificial intelligence, data governance and innovation for sustainable development.

Ramaphosa is scheduled to address the opening session of the Foreign Ministers' meeting at 2pm.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not participate in the meeting, citing concerns over South Africa’s land reform policy following Ramaphosa’s signing of the Expropriation Bill into law.

The US will instead be represented by embassy staff.

IOL Politics

Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.