Senegal leader backs permanent African Union seat at G20

Granting the African Union a permanent seat at the G20 group of wealthy nations would undo an "injustice", Senegalese President Macky Sall said on Friday.

South Africa is the continent's sole permanent member of the club that brings together the European Union and 19 other advanced economies and represents more than 80 percent of the world's GDP.

"Africa together is eighth in the world in terms of gross domestic product," Sall told an economic forum in the southern French town of Aix-en-Provence by video link.

Admitting the continent as the African Union within the G20 would heal an "injustice", he added.

Sall noted "progress" on the issue as all G20 members agreed that Africa should obtain a permanent seat, which the Senegalese leader hoped to see implemented at the group's next summit in India later this year.

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European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde told the forum that Africa should have more weight within Washington-based global financial institutions, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which she used to head.

Sall also called for special drawing rights, a type of international reserve asset, to be further reallocated from rich countries in favour of poorer states as they try to develop and deal with the consequences of climate change.

Source: AFP