Page 36 - BOPHELO - Life - 2026

African Leadership

in Global Inequality

Policy

In 2024, South Africa took on the Presidency
of the G20 for the first time, holding this role
from November 2024 to November 2025.
During this period, President Cyril Ramaphosa
set up a special Committee of Independent
Experts to look at global inequality. The
Committee included six top experts, such
as Nobel Laureate Professor Joseph Stiglitz,
Professor Jayati Ghosh, and Winnie Byanyima,
along with leading researchers from South
Africa , namely, Prof Imraan Valodia and Prof
Wanga Zembe-Mkabile, whose work in health
equity and social policy brings a critical lens
to inequality. The task was clear: produce a
detailed report on global inequality in just
three months. To do this, the Committee
reviewed a huge amount of data, met with
experts at the United Nations in New York,
spoke with scholars in Paris, and held online
discussions with professionals in economics,
social policy, health, and politics.

Understanding Inequality
Around the World

Inequality is now at very high levels. The report
found that 83% of countries are seeing rising
gaps between rich and poor, affecting almost
the entire global population. For example,
over the past 25 years, the richest 1% captured