President Kgalema Motlanthe will depart for the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Washington on Thursday, the foreign affairs department said.

Motlanthe would be accompanied by Finance Minister Trevor Manuel to the two-day summit that begins on Friday.

Issues to be discussed at the summit included progress on measures to counter the current global financial crisis, the department said on Wednesday.

Leaders would also discuss the effects of the crisis on emerging economies and developing nations.

The summit would be a follow-up to a recent G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where the crisis was also discussed.

Sapa