1. Your Excellency, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey. Honourable Ministers, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen. Good morning!

2. I want to thank President Erdogan for his strong commitment in addressing the major development challenges facing Africa today. Since becoming Prime Minister in 2003 and now under his Presidency, Turkey's foreign direct investment in Africa has increased by more than 20 times. Turkey has opened new embassies in African countries, deepening its footprint on the continent. Turkish bilateral trade with Africa is up tenfold since the turn of the century.

3. Turkey's Presidency of the G20 provides another unique opportunity to support the actualization of sustainable and inclusive development for Africa. I want to thank Turkey for its vision and leadership in having chosen energy access in Sub-Saharan Africa as a focus theme for the G20. The G20 Action Plan will further boost efforts to ensure affordable, reliable, and sustainable access to power in Africa.

4. I arrived here yesterday evening from the UN General Assembly meetings in New York, where the global community approved the Sustainable Development Goals. It is the dawn of a new era for the world: one where, more than ever before, we must reach out across the global commons to solve problems and unlock opportunities. Our world will be a better place, if we achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. And nowhere is the urgency of the need to achieve the goals more than in Africa. Africa cannot sustain poverty. The over 400 million