Johannesburg, August 29, 2025 — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the creation of a G20 Task Force on Global Wealth Inequality, a high-level initiative aimed at addressing one of the world’s most urgent economic challenges. The G20 Task Force on Global Wealth Inequality will present its findings at the 2025 Johannesburg Summit.
The six-member task force will be chaired by Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz and will present its findings at the G20 Summit in Johannesburg this November — the first G20 summit ever hosted on African soil.
“Inequality is not only an economic problem but a moral one,” Ramaphosa said. “This task force is about ensuring that the global economy works for everyone, not just the few.”
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The Task Force Members
The task force brings together globally recognized experts:
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Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Prize-winning economist and former World Bank Chief Economist.
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Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS.
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Jayati Ghosh, development economist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
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Imraan Valodia and Wanga Zembe-Mkabile, South African scholars on inequality and public policy.
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One additional member specializing in global finance and development.
Their mandate: to examine how debt burdens, rising food and energy prices, and unequal access to resources are deepening divides between rich and poor nations.
G20 Task Force on Global Wealth Inequality: Members and Mandate
The task force forms part of South Africa’s G20 Presidency (2024–2025) and signals the country’s determination to place inclusive growth and equity at the heart of global policy.
Recent findings by Oxfam and the World Inequality Lab show that the wealth gap has widened sharply in the past decade, leaving developing nations constrained by debt and rising costs.
With this initiative, South Africa is ensuring that inequality joins climate, debt reform, and security as a top-tier G20 agenda item.
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Expected Outcomes
The task force will submit a formal report to G20 leaders during the Johannesburg Summit (November 22–23, 2025), with recommendations likely to cover:
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Debt reform: Measures to ease the fiscal pressures facing developing nations.
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Food and energy security: Strategies to mitigate price volatility.
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Access to resources: Ensuring fair access to finance, healthcare, and technology.
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Global cooperation: Building fairer economic systems rooted in shared responsibility.
Broader Context: Africa’s Voice in Global Governance
This initiative aligns with a wider shift toward Africa’s growing leadership in global governance — through the African Union’s G20 membership, BRICS expansion, and the continent’s push for debt relief and sustainable financing.
“This task force symbolizes Africa’s ability not just to participate, but to shape the global agenda,” said economist Jayati Ghosh.
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What Comes Next
The G20 Task Force on Global Wealth Inequality will hold closed-door consultations with development banks, finance ministries, and civil society organizations in the weeks leading up to the summit.
Its report could help frame long-term reforms in global economic governance, offering a path toward a more inclusive and balanced world economy.
