Now, let’s call a spade a spade: global summits don’t magically fix economies overnight. They don’t hand out miracles like party packs. But what they do is shift the centre of gravity in global leadership — and this one just tilted a little toward Africa.

For the first time in a long time, South Africa wasn’t merely attending the conversation; it was hosting it. And hosting forces accountability. You can’t clean the house for visitors and then pretend you don’t own the house afterwards.

A few high-altitude takeaways:

1. Africa’s voice is no longer optional — it’s operational.

The world’s major economies didn’t pitch up here out of tourism curiosity. They came because Africa is now a strategic frontier in energy, logistics, minerals, and demographic growth. South Africa stood as the doorway into that conversation.

2. Geopolitics is shifting from power blocs to power partnerships.

Old alliances are wobbling; new alliances are forming. The countries that win the next decade will be the ones that master collaboration without compromising sovereignty.

3. South Africa must now execute — not just host.

The cameras have left. Now the real work begins: policy consistency, investment security, political maturity, and operational discipline. Hosting gives prestige; execution gives prosperity.

4. Leadership matters more than declarations.

Summits produce beautiful communiqués; nations rise on courageous decisions. This is where South Africa must move from speeches to systems, from public relations to performance management.

My takeaway?

This G20 was a reminder that global relevance is not something you inherit - it’s something you maintain through strategy, stability, and leadership with backbone.

The world looked our way this week.

The question is: Will we keep that attention by how we lead next?