AU Chair Calls for Fairer Global Financial System at G20–Africa Dialogue

Ethiopia, 10 November  2025 — African Union Commission Chairperson Mahamoud Ali Youssouf has called for urgent reforms to the global financial system to ensure fairer access to capital and sustainable debt management for African countries.

Speaking at the G20–Africa High-Level Dialogue on Debt Sustainability, Cost of Capital, and Financing Reforms in Addis Ababa, Youssouf urged world leaders to recognize Africa as “a partner to be empowered, not a risk to be managed.”

“Africa is not asking for charity; we are asking for fairness. We seek a financial system that recognizes our reform record, our demographic dividend, and our potential as a growth frontier of the 21st century,” the AU Chairperson said.

He commended South Africa’s G20 Presidency under President Cyril Ramaphosa, lauding its focus on solidarity, equality, and sustainability. He noted that the principles align with Agenda 2063, the African Union’s long-term vision for inclusive growth and transformation.

Youssouf warned that Africa’s mounting debt burden, estimated at USD 1.8 trillion —roughly two-thirds of the continent’s GDP —poses both an economic and a moral challenge. He revealed that in 2024 alone, debt-service payments surpassed USD 70 billion, consuming a big chunk of public revenues.