The Annual African Policy Circle (APC) Conference, December 2024, Lilongwe, Malawi

South Africa assumed the presidency of the Group of 20 (G20) in December 2024 under the theme ‘Fostering solidarity, equality and sustainable development. Africa Renewal described this as “a pivotal moment for the country and Africa.” In addition, the African Union's inclu-sion in the group during the G20 Summit in 2023 well-positions the two entities to collaborate and incorporate the goals and aspirations of African states. The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), a member of the African Policy Cir-cle (APC), alongside two other South African institutions, has been appointed by the Depart-ment of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) to coordinate the Think 20 (T20) during South Africa’s G20 presidency. The T20 is a powerful tool that provides research insti-tutes with a platform to submit evidence-based research and recommendations to the G20 and to contribute to shaping policy. The 2024 APC conference allowed the invited organisations and experts to engage on the pri-orities above and key topics related to Africa's role in the G20. Participants exchanged their expertise to develop concrete output that will culminate in policy recommendations for con-sideration by the G20 workstreams on anti-corruption and digital rights inclusion. In prepara-tion for the conference, participants were expected to read through a series of G20 and other relevant documents that contributed to shaping the agenda of South Africa’s G20 presidency and the initiatives it would be expected to continue. The conference, spanning two days, was held at Ufulu Gardens and Conference Centre in Lilongwe, with participants engaging on the content of the various documents on the first day, followed by a draft outline of policy recom-mendations to be prepared for submission to the T20 in early 2025.