Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called for the African Union (AU) to become a permanent member of the G20, so that "African voices" can be heard, ahead of a meeting of the bloc scheduled for September 9 and 10.

Modi made the case for AU membership at a summit of the G20, the G20's trade platform, where India officially handed over the 'pro tempore' presidency to Brazil, which will host a meeting in November 2024, according to The Times of India.

Since June, the Indian prime minister has been urging the leaders of the 55 G20 countries - including South Africa - to finally accept the AU into the forum, an approach previously supported by US President Joe Biden.

This comes after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Thursday an expansion of the BRICS bloc [Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa] next year with the accession of Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Egypt and Ethiopia.