U.S. President Donald Trump had not been amenable to South Africa’s 2025 G20 Presidency, and now that the U.S. has assumed its 2026 turn in office of the most important economic grouping, the African Union seems to have felt the need to present a force to reckon with.

On Monday, representatives from African Union member countries convened in Equatorial Guinea a pivotal AU G20 Retreat, in preparation for the 2026 United States presidency of the G20.

The Retreat, according to a press release issued by the African Union Commission, is to “ensure the continent remains coordinated, influential, and strategically positioned.”

The Retreat brings together Member States, technical financial institutions, and key partners to assess achievements and lessons learnt from the 2025 Presidency as well as examine the 2026 United States priorities, including Economic Growth, Deregulation, Energy Abundance, Trade, and Innovation, to identify areas for strategic leverage.

Central to the agenda is the alignment of AU Member States around common priorities under Agenda 2063 to ensure a smooth transition of leadership from Angola to Burundi in 2026 and to adopt a Strategic Roadmap for engagement across all G20 tracks, according to the release.

“We are no longer observing global decisions; we are actively co-authoring them to ensure they reflect the realities of our people,” said the host country’s minister of foreign affairs, international cooperation and diaspora, emphasizing the necessity of collective action.

Director General of the AUC, Amb. Fathallah Sijillmasi, set the strategic direction for the retreat saying, "Our objective is to move beyond participation and toward impact by establishing the institutional framework necessary to ensure that Africa’s specific priorities from digital transformation to infrastructure financing are technically defended and politically supported at every level of the G20 process."

Providing perspectives on the transition between Presidencies, AU G20 Sous-Sherpa (Angola), Amb. Sara Silva, reflected on the progress achieved during the previous cycle, highlighting the important gains made under South Africa’s historic G20 Presidency, including stronger visibility of Africa’s priorities within global economic discussions and enhanced coordination among AU Member States.

According to the press release, she underscored the importance of preserving institutional memory and ensuring continuity as the African Union advances into the 2026 cycle.

Chairperson of the Permanent Representatives Committee’s Economic and Trade Matters (Chad), Mahamat Ali Hassan said economic sovereignty remains central to the realization of Aspiration 7 of Agenda 2063, which seeks to position Africa as a strong, united, resilient, and influential global actor.

He emphasized that strengthening domestic productive capacity, advancing industrialization, promoting fair trade, and reducing structural dependencies are essential to enhancing Africa’s voice and bargaining power within global governance platforms such as the G20.

In her opening statement, AU Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals and AU G20 Sherpa, Francisca Tatchouop Belobe, addressed recent developments relating to the United States G20 Presidency, including the non-extension of an invitation to South Africa, the press release revealed.

She noted that the African Union has engaged through the appropriate diplomatic channels, stressing that such development risks undermining the inclusivity and consensus-based principles that have long guided the G20 process.

She reaffirmed that the AU will continue to engage partners and Member States to safeguard Africa’s collective interests and ensure the full and effective participation of African members within the G20 framework.

The retreat integrates the priorities of the Second Decade of Action of Agenda 2063 into the 2026 global discourse, according to the release.