One of the hallmarks of India’s G20 presidency is inclusion of African Union (AU) as a permanent member of G20. The group may now be called G21. By bringing in AU in G21, India has ensured that the voice of Global South is put firmly upfront. AU comprises of 55 countries and 1.4 billion people on this planet. Now the new G21 will represent 84 percent of global population, bringing it closer to the motto of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’.
India and Africa within the new G21 face similar challenges. They both have low per capita income, persistent poverty, widespread undernourishment, which gets acute with relatively high rates of population growth. Moreover, their economic structure, sectoral composition, and internal heterogeneity, etc. can make the comparison between India and Africa an interesting study for mutual south-south learning.
