PUBLISHED ONNovember 21, 2025 4:00 AMBYSean LerPrime Minister Lawrence Wong will visit Johannesburg in South Africa from Nov 21 to 23 to attend the G20 summit at the invitation of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
PM Wong, who is also Finance Minister, will then make an official visit to Ethiopia from Nov 23 to 25.
This will be PM Wong's first visit to the two countries, which are member states of the African Union, since he became prime minister in May 2024.
The African Union Commission, the administrative headquarters of the 55-member African Union (AU) is headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, while the AU's Pan-African Parliament sits in Midrand, South Africa.
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement on Friday (Nov 21) that the summit's theme of "Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability" seeks to address the interlinked global challenges of climate change, inequalitym and geopolitical stability.
"PM Wong will participate in discussions aimed at promoting growth and fostering a fair and just future amid the rapid development of artificial intelligence and the changing nature of work," the statement added.
Though not a G20 member, Singapore has participated as a guest country for almost two decades as part of its commitment to multilateralism and stronger global governance.
PM Wong will also be holding bilateral meetings with his counterparts in Johannesburg.
He will be accompanied by his wife Loo Tze Lui, Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, and officials from various agencies.
After the G20 summit, PM Wong will head to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to commence his official visit, made at the invitation of Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed Ali.
In Ethiopia, PM Wong will hold a delegation meeting with Dr Abiy after which the two leaders will witness the signing and exchange of memoranda of understanding (MOUs). They will also hold a joint press conference to announce the areas of cooperation under the MOUs.
During the Ethiopian prime minister's visit to Singapore in June 2024, the two leaders announced that Singapore and Ethiopia will be exploring the possibility of cooperation in new areas such as transport, digitalisation and capacity-building.
Ethiopia, where Arabica coffee originated from, is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa.
In 2024, Ethiopia was Singapore's eighth largest trading partner in Sub-Saharan Africa, with bilateral trade in goods amounting to S$275 million.
While in Ethiopia, PM Wong will also participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Adwa Victory Memorial Monument and meet with the director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
He will also visit Repi-Wilmar's factory which manufactures popular local household brands of soap and detergent. Singapore-headquartered Wilmar International Limited has a 50 per cent stake in the joint investment with Repi.
In addition to the delegation members joining PM Wong in Johannesburg, PM Wong Wong will be accompanied by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and Trade and Industry Gan Siow Huang, Minister of State for Digital Development and Information, and Health Rahayu Mahzam.
During PM Wong's absence, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong will be Acting Prime Minister from Nov 21 to 24, while Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam will cover the role on Nov 25.
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