Takeaways from the first G20 summit in Africa and a look ahead to the next one at Trump’s golf club

In a historic first, Africa hosted the Group of 20 summit that concluded Sunday in Johannesburg, marking a significant shift in global economic discussions by prioritizing the concerns of developing nations. South Africa successfully negotiated a comprehensive declaration focused on challenges facing poorer countries, though the summit’s long-term impact remains uncertain amid notable U.S. absence.

The summit declaration, agreed upon by most of the world’s wealthiest nations and emerging economies, highlighted issues disproportionately affecting developing countries, including climate change impacts, mounting debt burdens, and sustainable energy transition challenges. However, the United States—a G20 founding member and the world’s largest economy—boycotted the meeting, refused to sign the declaration, and has openly opposed South Africa’s agenda, particularly regarding climate initiatives.

This political tension creates immediate complications as the U.S. assumes the rotating G20 presidency starting Monday, raising questions about how much of South Africa’s groundwork will continue.

The 122-point declaration, while not legally binding, represents a consensus among participating nations to mobilize both public and private financing to help vulnerable countries recover from increasingly devastating climate disasters. This focus is particularly relevant for Africa, which contributes merely 2-3% of global emissions according to UN data, yet suffers disproportionately severe climate impacts, including recent cyclones that caused billions in damages across Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe.

Several guest nations from developing regions highlighted the financial inequities they face. Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, representing the West African economic bloc, noted that countries in his region often face interest rates up to eight times higher than wealthy nations when seeking international loans. Similarly, Namibia’s President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah pointed out that her country is labeled high-risk by lenders despite recently repaying a $750 million bond on schedule.

“Africa doesn’t need charity,” Bio emphasized, “but fair borrowing conditions.”

Despite the summit’s achievements, questions surfaced regarding the G20’s effectiveness in addressing major global crises. The Ukraine war received just a single mention in the declaration, with no specific proposals for resolution. Similarly, Sudan’s destructive civil war was referenced only once, despite its devastating regional impact.

French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged this limitation, stating the G20 was at “an inflection point” as it struggled “to have a common standard on geopolitical crises.”

The summit concluded with an awkward diplomatic moment during the traditional handover ceremony. Customarily, the host nation passes a symbolic wooden gavel to the next presidency holder, but no U.S. official was present to receive it from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. South Africa reportedly rejected a U.S. proposal to send an embassy representative, considering it disrespectful for Ramaphosa to hand over to a junior official.

In an impromptu moment captured by microphones, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva playfully took the gavel, telling Ramaphosa, “I’ll take it to them.”

The G20’s “troika” system requires the previous, current, and next summit hosts to collaborate throughout the year. This means the U.S. must work with South Africa for the next 12 months, despite their relations having deteriorated to their lowest point since apartheid’s end 31 years ago, with the U.S. repeatedly criticizing and sanctioning South Africa since Trump returned to office.

Looking ahead, President Trump announced that the 2026 G20 summit will be held at his Doral golf club near Miami, Florida, though he insisted his family’s business would not profit from the event. U.S. officials have signaled a significant shift in approach, criticizing South Africa for inviting numerous additional nations as guests. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated, “We have whittled down the G20 back to basics. The G20 had become basically the G100 this past year.”

Trump has previously called for South Africa’s expulsion from the G20, citing widely disputed claims about persecution of the white Afrikaner minority. When asked whether South Africa feared potential visa denials for its delegates attending the numerous G20 meetings preceding next year’s summit, South African spokesperson and Cabinet Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni responded with apparent indifference: “Like any other country, they can decide to give you a visa or not. It doesn’t change the price of bread.”