Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia calls on the G20 to strengthen its commitment to the Compact with Africa Multi-Donor Trust Fund. At the G20 meeting in South Africa, Abiy emphasized the need for concrete actions to support African nations' reform efforts. He highlighted the significant progress made in the eight years since the Compact's launch, citing a wave of reforms that have strengthened macroeconomic stability and opened economies to investment.
Abiy pointed out that these reforms have tackled long-standing barriers to enterprise and job creation by opening up global and telecom markets, reforming state-owned enterprises, improving trade facilitation, and advancing renewable energy investment. He specifically mentioned Ethiopia's achievements, including the modernization of its macroeconomic framework, the reform of monetary and financial systems, the expansion of financial inclusion, and the liberalization of the foreign exchange regime.
Looking ahead, Abiy urged the G20 to focus on accelerating transformation at scale. He stressed that reform must drive investment, and investment must drive shared growth. He delivered key demands, including the strengthening of the Compact with Africa 2.0 Trust Fund, the expansion of guarantees, and the blending of finance to unlock private capital. Abiy also called for timely and profitable debt relief under the Common Framework, support for deeper capital markets, improved credit ratings, and the promotion of African integration from the African Continental Free Trade Area to cross-border infrastructure and digital connectivity.
Abiy concluded by emphasizing the importance of the next decade being even more ambitious, and he invited the G20 to make the Compact with Africa a platform for Africa and global prosperity. The G20 Compact with Africa was officially launched at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington D.C. on October 15, 2025, with the aim of supporting policy reform to create a business-friendly environment and mobilizing private capital to create job opportunities in Africa.
