UK international secretary particulars new ‘Africa Strategy’

UK international secretary David Lammy unveiled his imaginative and prescient of a mutually-beneficial UK partnership with Africa in a keynote speech on the Africa Debate 2025 at London’s Guildhall. Lammy mentioned that the UK had launched what he referred to as a brand new “Africa Strategy” following a five-month listening train with the continent. He mentioned the brand new technique could be outlined by progress, partnership and alternative.

“We wanted to pay attention. And I thanks all in your engagement over the course of this course of and for what you instructed us, what we would have liked to listen to… You need, we wish, progress. And never simply any type of progress – a leap in numbers on a spreadsheet for a yr or two – however a safe, sustainable progress for everybody: high-quality jobs, reasonably priced costs, residents residing higher lives than these of their ancestors.

“You need, we wish, alternative. Alternative arising from our respective strengths, just like the British schooling system, like after all the Metropolis of London, the unbelievable pure property and energised younger individuals throughout Africa, and our collective dedication to multilateralism.

“And also you need, and we wish, partnerships. Partnerships that harness our deep historic ties, and the array of private connections that exist between us.”

Lammy hails strengthened partnerships 

Lammy mentioned that he had visited eight African international locations prior to now yr in a bid to forge a “real partnership… between two equals every respecting the opposite”.

He mentioned the journeys included the primary ever by a UK international secretary to Chad (pictured above), and the primary visits by a international secretary in a number of years to big-hitters South Africa and Morocco.

“And on my first go to to the continent as international secretary, I launched consultations on our new Africa Strategy. A five-month listening train, listening to from governments, from civil society and diaspora communities, from companies and universities, from Cape City to Cairo, from Dakar to Djibouti, what they valued, what they wished to see from Britain.”

Lammy mentioned the conferences had helped to forge a brand new strategic partnership with Nigeria, a brand new progress plan with South Africa, a brand new partnership with Morocco, joint work on a brand new AI technique in Ghana, and new investments in Tanzania and Kenya.

He mentioned that the UK’s Creating International locations Buying and selling Scheme (DCTS) and free commerce agreements with many African international locations had helped to understand virtually £15bn of tariff-free items exports from Africa to Britain final yr.

Underneath the UK authorities’s new commerce technique, which obtained a combined evaluate from Tanzania’s excessive commissioner to the UK (see web page 00), Lammy pledged that the UK will additional simplify the foundations of the DCTS scheme, which advantages thirty-eight African international locations, and can evaluate tariffs with South Africa, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.

However, Lammy mentioned that there was nonetheless vital room for enchancment in relations.

“However after all, the work can solely be starting. The true check of our Africa Strategy, and this was clear within the session as properly, is how we put it into follow. As a result of speak is affordable. It’s actions ultimately that depend. I’m excited by the offers driving progress that we now have been delivering to this point.”

Shift from help to commerce

The international secretary’s speech mirrored the shift from help to industrial ties that’s going down – notably with the UK pressured to cut back its improvement price range with a view to bolster nationwide defence amid heightened tensions with Russia.

“The commerce technique reinforces Britain’s perception within the energy of free commerce. And the most important free commerce space on this planet is Africa’s… And we’ll enhance alternatives for British corporations to play their half, simply as it should enhance prosperity in Africa. The British companies and traders on this room have an enormous half to play. And I need our ambassadors, our excessive commissioners working intently with you, in order that collectively, we will play a assured function in investing extra, and supporting the expansion of the African market.

“So, extra commerce, extra funding, that is one of the best path to prosperity for all. And there’s a function after all for improvement as properly. However this needs to be a modernised strategy to improvement, recognising that basically improvement is about progress, improvement is about jobs, improvement is about enterprise. The fashionable improvement skilled must have a mindset of an investor, not a donor. Searching for one of the best return, not providing the largest handout.”

Lammy additionally mentioned the UK could be backing African efforts to spice up their voice in worldwide boards with a view to unlock capital.

“The theme of your convention is exactly the appropriate framing; Africa has pure capital. Nevertheless it can not unlock this if we make it impossibly difficult for states to entry the finance that they want. On the current Growth Finance Summit in Seville, we have been once more pushing for reforms of the multilateral improvement banks and the IMF. We have now to mobilise personal capital and use ensures to unlock extra funds.”

Lammy mentioned that the UK would additionally redouble efforts to deal with soiled cash and sanction “kleptocrats and cash launderers (who) rob all our residents of wealth and safety”.

However basically, he mentioned, the brand new technique is an optimistic imaginative and prescient of how ties will be strengthened to present each the UK and Africa extra decisions.

“In impact, Africa desires Britain to assist them to have extra decisions. Decisions over who to do enterprise with, as a result of it’s decisions which matter in a unstable geopolitical age.

“Britain desires decisions too. And I imagine that, given the selection, increasingly more British companies and traders can be selecting Africa within the coming years.”