AU chair Macky Sall to attend G20 summit: officials

AU chair and Senegal president Macky Sall plans to attend an upcoming G20 summit in Bali, two government officials said on Friday as Africa looks to hold wealthier nations to account for their climate pledges.

The visit, his first to a G20 summit, will follow his attendance at the COP27 UN climate meeting in Egypt, where he was one of the leading advocates for rich countries to contribute more cash to help Africa adapt to climate change.

The summit in Bali takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday, overlapping the second week of the COP27 conference.

Sall will “wear two hats” at the meeting, representing the AU and Senegal, one of the officials said.

Senegal is in discussions with G20 members about a deal to support its transition to low- carbon energy.

The so-called Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETP) were pioneered by South Africa’s deal last year with countries including the US, Britain, Germany and France providing funding to speed up its transition away from coal power.

One of the items Sall will want to discuss with G20 members is the Senegal JETP, which was being negotiated at COP27, the official said.

Indonesia's presidency of the G20 this year coincides with the country's own efforts to secure a JETP funding package to help switch from coal power to clean energy. A deal could be announced as early as next week, people familiar with the matter said.

At the COP27 climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, where Sall has choreographed the AU's climate negotiating efforts, representatives from the continent welcomed his inclusion at the G20.

“It's a great opportunity to table some of the key development challenges of our continent but, more importantly, to discuss potential partnerships and solutions to address these challenges,” said Solomon Quaynor, vice-president of private sector, infrastructure and industrialisation at the African Development Bank Group.

African countries at the UN climate conference have demanded that wealthy nations deliver more finance for the energy transition and for projects that help communities adapt to climate impacts.

“Adaptation continues to be a pressing challenge,” Quaynor said, “and we need to develop new solutions to address this urgently.”