Bonn, Kiel, Johannesburg, 12 June 2017. The German federal government has invited African representatives as well as experts and private sector stakeholders to a High-Level Dialogue between the G20 and African countries on 12 and 13 June 2017 in Berlin. The importance of working together more closely in the fields of research and policy advice had already been stressed during the T20 Global Solutions Summit at the end of May. Initiated by the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), a new Africa Standing Group (T20 ASG) was launched at the summit in Berlin.

The Africa Standing Group plans to engage in cross-regional joint knowledge production and provide evidence-based policy advice related to cooperation between the G20 and Africa. The network encompasses more than 30 leading think tanks from across Africa and G20 countries. The group will work on a broad range of issues relevant to economic, social and political change in Africa and the world economy, including infrastructure, tax cooperation and illicit financial flows, trade and investment, agriculture, climate, and the political and social environment in which socio-economic reforms take place. Governance mechanisms for Africa-G20 cooperation will be a key focus for the group.

The starting point for the group’s joint research and advisory work are the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as well as the G20 work streams. The Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Kwesi Quartey welcomed the initiative. During his address to the T20 Africa Standing Group at its inaugural meeting in Berlin he emphasized the need for evidence-based policy-making. The T20 Africa Standing Group is an outcome of the first T20 Africa Conference that took place in February 2017 in Johannesburg. The Standing Group can also draw on significant support from the Managing Global Governance (MGG) Network coordinated by DIE.

Do you want to get more insights on Africa’s economies and politics? See our weekly blog “African Alliances for Sustainable Development”, coordinated by the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE).

For further information on the T20 Africa Standing Group please contact:

Julia Leininger via Julia.leininger@die-gdi.de or Christine Hackenesch via Christine.hackenesch@die-gdi.de at the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)

Elizabeth Sidiropoulos via Elizabeth.Sidiropoulos@wits.ac.za at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)