Johannesburg - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa jokingly expressed the challenges of hosting the G20 summit to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during bilateral talks on Sunday, November 23, 2025. The remark was made during delegation-level talks between India and South Africa, where Ramaphosa thanked India for its support in hosting the G20 leaders' summit, the first to be held in Africa.
"You should have told us that it (hosting the G20 summit) is such a difficult task, maybe we would have run away," Ramaphosa said with a laugh, acknowledging the complexities involved in organizing such a large-scale international event. PM Modi and others present responded with laughter.
Ramaphosa noted that South Africa had learned valuable lessons from India's experience in hosting the G20 in September 2023. India's summit was held at the Bharat Mandapam. "We have learned a lot from your hosting of the G20 … and yours was spectacular... building … ours is really small," Ramaphosa stated. Modi responded, "Small is always beautiful".
South Africa assumed the G20 presidency in 2025, marking a historic moment as the first African nation to hold the position. Ramaphosa emphasized that his country intends to prioritize Africa's growth and development during its presidency. He highlighted the importance of a strong partnership between Africa and the G20, as well as the rest of the world, to unlock the continent's potential for prosperity.
During the opening session of the G20 Leaders' Meeting, Modi called for a profound rethink of global development parameters and proposed a G20 initiative to counter the drug-terror nexus and a global healthcare response team.
The 2025 G20 Leaders' Declaration in Johannesburg focuses on climate ambition, debt relief, and development justice, conveying a strong political message on multilateralism, terrorism, and global conflicts. The declaration unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms, aligning with India's long-standing demand against distinguishing between "good" and "bad" terrorists.
Notably, the United States boycotted the G20 summit due to a diplomatic rift, a move President Ramaphosa found unfortunate. He stated that boycotts rarely achieve their intended effect.
On the sidelines of the G20 Summit, Modi and Ramaphosa engaged in bilateral talks, focusing on strengthening cooperation in trade, investment, mining, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure, skills development, and food security. They also discussed initiating youth delegation exchanges to enhance technology collaboration and strengthen people-to-people ties.
President Ramaphosa also held an IBSA Leaders' Dialogue during the G20 Leaders' Summit, emphasizing the importance of diversity and collaboration among equals for global peace, prosperity, and stability. He stressed the need to champion ambitious reform of global governance institutions, reinvigorate commitments to climate action, and safeguard food and health security.
