In a compelling interview with CNBC Africa, Trevor Manuel, former Finance Minister of South Africa and chair of the G20 Africa Expert Panel, revealed key insights from the panel's ongoing work in addressing central economic challenges facing the African continent. Speaking directly from the sidelines of the critical G20 meetings in Durban, where central bank governors and finance ministers from member countries converge, Manuel provided a detailed update on the panel's progress and the findings of its medium-term report. Initiated under the current South African presidency of the G20, the Africa Expert Panel has a standalone mandate to focus on actionable and pragmatic solutions to improve the quality of life across Africa, especially in light of daunting economic challenges. Crucially, Manuel emphasized that the panel's report establishes an independent pathway that does not require alignment with the broader, often lengthy, G20 negotiation processes. The major focus: infrastructural deficit and debt sustainability in Africa. Manuel underscored that one of the most pressing issues is the daunting debt burden enveloping the continent, especially sub-Saharan Africa, where debt service costs have surged at a pace exceeding economic growth, squeezing out essential public service funding for health and education. He starkly illustrated the gravity of this crisis, noting that the resulting poverty forces many to risk perilous journeys across the Mediterranean in search of better opportunities. Key among the panel’s strategies is advocating for changes in the global financial architecture to ameliorate Africa's economic plight. This includes critiquing the practices of the International Finance Corporation and the restrictive capital requirements imposed by international banking regulations which significantly hamper Africa's infrastructure development potential. The report also charts a course for improving domestic resource mobilization, emphasizing the enhancement of local tax administration and the development of African capital markets resilient to volatile foreign exchange rates, a persistent issue as countries often resort to borrowing in foreign currencies like the US dollar and euro. Turning to the operational dynamics of the G20, Manuel highlighted the logistical challenges imposed by the absence of high-level U.S. representation, a part of the guiding 'Troika,' which complicates achieving a unified front on international economic policy—a situation further exacerbated by recent unilateral American tariffs and cuts to crucial foreign aid. Despite these challenges, Manuel expressed optimism about the panel's trajectory, stressing that while the work might yield only a high-level report by the November deadline, there is substantial regional support and commitment underpinned by the African Union and UNECA to drive the agenda beyond 2026, ensuring the longevity and ownership of the proposed economic strategies. Through this report, Manuel and the panel seek not only to highlight but also destigmatize African economic vulnerabilities while empowering African nations with actionable, locally-owned solutions. This work, though formidable given the complex socio-political landscape, embodies what Manuel described as a motivating 'spirit and appetite among Africans to tackle these issues.'