President Cyril Ramaphosa appoints Professor Mariana Mazzucato to G20 Taskforce

President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Professor Mariana Mazzucato as Technical Expert to South Africa’s G20 Presidency and his Special Presidential Representative to Taskforce 1: Inclusive Economic Growth, Industrialisation, Employment, and Reduced Inequality.

Professor Mazzucato will also contribute to Taskforce 3: Artificial Intelligence, Data Governance, and Innovation for Sustainable Development.

She will also support the Sherpa Track: Trade and Investment Working Group, and the Finance Track Sustainable Finance Working Group, and International Financial Architecture Working Group.

Professor Mazzucato is a member of President Ramaphosa’s Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) since 2019, advising on areas such as green industrial strategy, state capacity, and reform of state-owned enterprises.

In 2024, she co-chaired the Group of Experts for Brazil's G20 Task Force for the Global Mobilisation Against Climate Change (TF-CLIMA).

This appointment underscores South Africa’s commitment to leveraging its leadership in the G20 to shape a more inclusive and sustainable global economy.

Professor Mazzucato, internationally recognised for her work on rethinking the state, green growth, mission-oriented innovation and public value creation, brings critical expertise to advancing South Africa’s goals on green industrialisation, inclusive growth, and long-term structural transformation.

Under President Ramaphosa's leadership and the G20 theme of "Solidarity. Equality. Sustainability.”, South Africa aims to lead global discussions on these key issues, advocating for policies that foster resilient economic development, particularly in developing countries.

South Africa’s G20 Presidency is committed to advancing a global economic framework that supports green growth, economic resilience, and social equity.

As 2025 marks what President Ramaphosa, along with President Lula da Silva of Brazil and Prime Minister Sánchez of Spain, has called "a pivotal year for multilateralism" with three major global gatherings – the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, the Financing for Development Conference in Seville and COP30 in Belém.

Media enquiries:
For The Presidency
Vincent Magwenya
Spokesperson to the President
E-mail: media@presidency.gov.za 

For Prof Mazzucato
Sol Hallam
Communications Manager: Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose
Contacts:  +44 7503 575 719 
E-mail: iipp-dir-comms@ucl.ac.uk