Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Saturday attended the opening session of the 2025 G20 Leaders' Summit in Johannesburg, representing President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi at the first G20 meeting ever held on the African continent. Madbouly travelled with Foreign Minister and Minister of Immigration Badr Abdelatty; Sherif Kamel, the President's personal representative to the G20 and BRICS; and Egypt's Ambassador to South Africa, Ahmed Ali Sherif. Egypt was invited as a guest country to the two-day summit, convened under the theme "Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability".
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa opened the gathering, which brought together more than 40 heads of state. He said the summit aimed to refocus global debate on inclusive development, debt sustainability for low-income countries, and equitable climate and energy transitions. He warned that widening inequalities across and within nations were obstructing sustainable development and weakening global stability.
"It is essential that we break down divisions of economic status, of gender, of race and geography," he said. "Sustainability involves meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
Ramaphosa announced that delegations had agreed on a joint declaration and said its adoption showed that "multilateralism can and does deliver". He described the document as carrying "a message of hope and solidarity", reaffirming a commitment to ensure no country or community is left behind.
Discussions at the summit are centred on food security, global debt pressures, the climate transition, and strengthening cooperation between developed and developing countries. Ramaphosa said shared threats — including geopolitical tensions, global warming, pandemics, energy and food insecurity, unemployment and poverty — were placing the collective future of humanity at risk.
He urged reforms to the global financial system to make international institutions more representative and better positioned to respond to emerging risks. South Africa, during its G20 presidency, prioritised climate-driven disaster resilience, debt sustainability for vulnerable economies and financing for a just energy transition. Other areas of focus included the role of critical minerals in supporting industrialisation and reducing inequality, as well as security, employment and responsible use of artificial intelligence.
Ramaphosa called for accelerating progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. While climate-related disasters affect all regions, he said their impact is especially severe in countries lacking the resources for recovery and reconstruction.
"We have agreed that it is essential for the global community, international finance institutions, development banks and the private sector to scale up post-disaster construction," he said.
With Africa hosting the G20 for the first time, Ramaphosa said expectations were high and urged leaders to protect the integrity and credibility of the forum. He said the Johannesburg meeting must reinforce, not weaken, the G20's role in shaping global decision-making.
The leaders' declaration stressed the seriousness of the climate crisis, in what observers viewed as a pointed contrast to the stance of U.S. President Donald Trump, who boycotted the summit and has repeatedly questioned the scientific consensus on human-driven global warming.
Trump has also singled out South Africa for criticism since returning to the White House in January, including circulating debunked allegations that white Afrikaners were being systematically "killed and slaughtered" in the country.
