Trade, Industry and Competition hosts 2nd SA G20 Trade and Investment Meeting in Western Cape, 6 to 8 May

The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) will host South Africa’s second G20 Trade and Investment Working Group meeting from 6-8 May 2025 in Somerset West, Western Cape.  The meeting will bring together senior officials from member countries, as well as the European Union and African Union.

The G20 TIWG meeting is a second of a series of meetings that will take place throughout the year, ahead of the G20 Trade Ministers’ Meeting in October 2025. The discussions will focus on four priorities in the area of trade and investment, namely;

• Trade and Inclusive Growth – with a view to develop high-level principles to foster trade and inclusive growth, and work towards a G20 Africa Cooperation Agenda, building on previous Presidencies’ initiatives on promoting G20 partnership with Africa.
• Responsive Trade and Investment Agenda - to address global challenges such as climate change, digital inclusion, pandemic preparedness, food security, and supply chain resilience, alongside a toolbox of reforms in the investment treaty regime to support the global commons.
• G20 Framework on Green Industrialisation and Investments – towards a grand bargain that supports value addition of critical minerals at the source or close to the source and promotes resilient supply-chains. The discussions will also identify best practices and policy tools utilised by Governments to advance green industrialisation.
• On World Trade Organisation (WTO) Reform – support for WTO reform and the development dimension of the WTO.

South Africa officially assumed the presidency of the G20 in December 2024 for the year 2025 under the theme Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.

According to the Deputy Director-General of Trade at the dtic, Ambassador Xolelwa Mlumbi-Peter, the first meeting held in March was a success and members engaged constructively on all the issues and welcomed the agenda proposed by the Presidency.

“South Africa  is holding the G20 Presidency at an interesting time when we are witnessing seismic shifts in global trade. The second meeting presents an opportunity for members to engage further on the issues with a view to prepare recommendations for the Trade and Investment Ministers meeting scheduled for 10 October 2025. The four themes that South Africa has put forward in the context of the TIWG are therefore timely and emphasise the need for greater G20 coordination  cooperation in the current context,” says Mlumbi-Peter.

Additionally, Mlumbi-Peter says the TIWG’s work also identifies potential areas of cooperation on trade and investment taking into account the priorities of the G20 Presidency and discusses trade and investment issues of common interests raised by G20 members.

The G20 provides an essential platform for dialogue and action aimed at mitigating environmental, social, and economic risks while strengthening global economic resilience. Inclusive economic growth, industrialisation, a trade and investment agenda to address the challenges of the to the global commons and WTO reform remain important areas to facilitate G20 cooperation going forward.

The G20 members include the world's major economies, representing 85% of global Gross Domestic Product, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world's population. It comprises of 19 developed and developing countries, as well as continental bodies such as the European Union and the African Union.

The G20 plays an important role in shaping and strengthening the global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues and aims to foster cooperation to address global challenges.

Enquiries:
Bongani Lukhele – Director: Media Relations
Tel: (012) 394 1643
Mobile: 079 5083 457
WhatsApp: 074 2998 512
E-mail: BLukhele@thedtic.gov.za

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