US Chamber of Commerce commits to collaboration with SA, rest of Africa as B20 concludes

The B20 Summit drew to a close in Johannesburg on Thursday evening (20 November) with the official handover of the Final Communique to President Cyril Ramaphosa and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO, Suzanne Clark.

This sets the tone for the much-anticipated G20 Summit taking place from 22-23 November.

The administration of Donald Trump recently announced that no one from the US would be attending, but in his address, Ramaphosa indicated that they'd received notice of 'a change of heart' about the US stance.

Cas Coovadia, B20 Sherpa for South Africa and outgoing CEO of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), reports that they've received nothing but support from US business representativesinvolved in B20 deliberations taking place since March in preparation for the summit.

And, at the close of the B20, the head of the US Chamber of Commerce committed US business to collaboration with South Africa and the rest of the continent, Coovadia says.

"She committed to working with us as we grow an inclusive economy. She actually said that this trip to SA had opened their eyes to the opportunities on the continent, and US business would be very interested in getting involved."

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Coovadia relates how the US business representatives sent him messages of reassurance during the weekend after President Trump announced his government's non-attendance at the G20.

While Washington's position seems to be in flux at the moment, our B20 Sherpa is positive about cooperation as the US takes over the G20 and of course B20 presidency. The UK is set to host the following G20 summit, in 2027.

"It's difficult to develop some sort of strategy on how we can relate to the G20 in the US... but between the Sherpa in Brazil, myself, the Sherpa in the US and the British Chamber of Industry whom I've also spoken to, I'm trying to encourage at least that - beginning with the four us, we establish some kind of mechanism to just help each other and particularly help the US to see if they can interact more constructively with their government."

They will also work with the US Chamber of Commerce to see whether they can maintain the efficacy of the B20 through turbulent times, Coovadia adds.

He says South Africa's B20 succeeded in putting Africa at the centre of of the agenda, and promoting the continent in a positive way by also being pragmatic about the challenges that do exist.

"I think our recommendations are practical and implementable and we hope we'll be able to track them and measure impact or implementation."

Scroll up to the audio player to hear more from B20 Sherpa Cas Coovadia