Africa: South Africa Hands Over G20, Takes Charge of IBSA Summit

G20 South Africa
G20 in South Africa
23 November 2025
Scrolla (Johannesburg)
By Palesa Matlala

· South Africa ended its G20 term and took over leadership of IBSA, a forum for South-South cooperation.

· The US skipped the summit after false claims of white genocide, and will receive the G20 baton from a junior official.

South Africa has officially ended its G20 presidency, and is now leading the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Dialogue Forum, taking over from Brazil.

The G20 summit closed in Johannesburg this weekend, and was immediately followed by the IBSA Summit, which was held to boost South-South cooperation and push for global governance reform.

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IBSA was formed over 20 years ago as a platform to strengthen ties between the three countries across energy, trade, technology and development.

In his closing speech on Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the world is changing rapidly, and the three countries are ready to shape the global future, not just watch from the sidelines.

"India, Brazil and South Africa are not merely participating in global economic governance, but are working to shape the global agenda," he said.

Ramaphosa said IBSA's priorities include climate action, just energy transitions, food and health security, and fair access to technology.

"We must position ourselves as co-architects of a more representative and responsive multilateral system," he said. "The growing gap between rich and poor can only be fixed through inclusive economic growth."

The summit was held without the United States, whose president Donald Trump announced earlier this year that the US would boycott the event over false claims of "white genocide" in South Africa.

On Thursday, the US reversed its decision and said it would send a delegation, but not for full participation, only to receive the handover of the G20 presidency.

In response, International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola said South Africa would not hand over the presidency to a junior US official. Instead, a junior South African official would do the honours, "treating it the same way we have been treated".

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