RAMAPHOSA OFF TO G20

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa will lead the South African delegation to the annual G20 Summit when he undertakes a working visit to Japan from today until tomorrow, the Presidency said in a statement yesterday. It will be the president’s first international engagement since his inauguration after the May general elections. It is also the first time Japan will host the G20 Summit, the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting, the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and other ministerial gatherings. The summit will be held in Osaka, while other meetings will be hosted at eight different locations throughout Japan. Ramaphosa will be accompanied by Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Dr Naledi Pandor, and Minister of Trade and Industry Ebrahim Patel. The G20 was established in 1999 to increase multilateral co-operation for the recovery of the global economy, bring stability to the global financial system, promote longterm sustainable growth and strengthen growth and global governance. This year’s summit will focus on eight key themes spanning the global economy, trade and investment, innovation, environment and energy, employment, women’s empowerment, development and health, the statement said. It said that the themes mirror South Africa’s focus areas as outlined in Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation address last week. The country, which has co-chaired the G20 Development Working Group since 2010, will garner support for implementing the sustainable development goals in Africa. | African News Agency (ANA)