(Ecofin Agency) - AU’s full integration in the G20 is part of an effort to give the African continent a stronger voice on issues such as climate change, energy transition, and the debt of developing countries.

Members of the Group of 20, which gathers the world’s largest economies, have reached an agreement to grant the African Union (AU) a permanent membership within the group. The news was unveiled Thursday by Bloomberg, which cited sources close to the matter.

Leaders of G20 member countries are expected to officially announce the decision during their Summit scheduled for September 9 and 10 in India, the same sources stated. Granting the AU a permanent seat is aimed at enabling the African continent to have a stronger voice on issues such as climate change, energy transition, and the debt of developing countries and emerging markets.

At the end of August, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his desire for the AU to become a full G20 member. “We have a vision of inclusion, and with this vision, we have invited the African Union to become a permanent member of the G20,” he said during a speech in New Delhi at the Business 20 (B20) summit. This comment comes a few months after similar announcements by U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The G20 is an international forum of the world's 20 largest and fastest-growing economies (19 countries plus the European Union). Its members represent around 80% of the global GDP, 60% of the world's population, and 75% of international trade. South Africa is currently the only permanent G20 member from the African continent.