Group of 20 nations agreed to grant the African Union permanent membership status, according to people familiar with the matter, who said that leaders are expected to announce the decision during a summit in India this weekend. The move would give the 55-member African Union, which is currently classified as an “invited international organisation,” the same status as the EU, according to the people, who asked not to be identified.
In early May, during a visit to the African Union headquarters in Ethiopia, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz threw his weight behind calls for the bloc to become a permanent G-20 member to give it more say in efforts to tackle global issues like climate change. Scholz argued that Africa must play a greater international role to reflect its growing importance in an increasingly fractured and multipolar world order. The European Union is keen to take some credit for the G-20 step.