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3rd November 2024

Economic growth to underpin work in both Nigeria and South Africa, as Foreign Secretary agrees to develop a new UK-South Africa Growth Plan and a new Strategic Partnership with Nigeria.

Climate continues to top the agenda of Foreign Secretary's engagement as he visits Earthshot+ event in Cape Town.

Foreign Secretary sets out "Growth is the core mission of this government and will underpin our relationships in Nigeria, South Africa and beyond."

David Lammy will begin a visit to Nigeria and South Africa today (3rd November), his first trip to the African continent as Foreign Secretary and the first to visit South Africa since 2013.

Committing to a fresh approach to Africa that works productively from Morocco to Madagascar, the Foreign Secretary will announce the start of a five-month consultation process, to ensure African voices inform and sit at the very heart of the UK’s new approach to the continent. Accommodating the diverse needs and ambitions of 54 countries, the consultation will guarantee the UK’s relationships across Africa are based on mutual respect and partnership.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said, "Africa has huge growth potential, with the continent on track to make up 25% of the world’s population by 2050.

Our new approach will deliver respectful partnerships that listen rather than tell, deliver long term growth rather than short term solutions and build a freer, safer, more prosperous continent. I want to hear what our African partners need and foster relationships so that the UK and our friends and partners in Africa can grow together.

Growth is the core mission of this government and will underpin our relationships in Nigeria, South Africa and beyond.

This will mean more jobs, more prosperity and more opportunities for Brits and Africans alike.

In Nigeria, the Foreign Secretary will sign a modern and progressive Strategic Partnership - the first of its kind between the UK and Nigeria. This new dialogue will cover the breadth of the UK-Nigeria areas of shared cooperation from growth and jobs to national security, tackling the climate and nature crisis to strengthening our people-to-people ties.

Nigeria will be the world’s fifth largest economy by 2075 – the Foreign Secretary will advocate for further collaboration on mutual growth via the UK-Nigeria Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership, signed earlier this year. This partnership is the key vehicle for driving trade and market access between the UK and Nigeria and plays a vital role in the UK’s growth mission.

The Foreign Secretary will advocate for further trade and climate collaboration between Nigeria and the UK in high level meetings with President Tinubu, Foreign Minister Tuggar and Lagos Governor Sanwo-Olu.

Building on President Tinubu’s macro-economic reforms, the Foreign Secretary will announce a diverse Technical Assistance package to the Nigerian Ministry of Finance, offering British expertise from the Bank of England, HMRC and others to help continue to modernise and diversify the Nigerian economy. Catalysing reform across Nigeria will create further opportunities within the flourishing Nigerian economy for British businesses – generating growth, jobs and incomes for Brits and Nigerians.

Travelling on to South Africa, David Lammy will agree to develop a new UK-South Africa Growth Plan. South Africa is our largest trading partner on the continent and this plan will allow trade to flourish even more through collaboration on market access, a new UK Trade Partnership programme to boost South Africa exports, and a new programme to increase the number of agricultural jobs in rural South Africa. This will simultaneously boost trade for Brits whilst bolstering opportunities within South Africa.

At the biennial UK-South Africa bilateral forum the Foreign Secretary and Foreign Minister Lamola will refresh the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to 2030 – raising joint ambition on climate, nature, trade and security and committing to UK-SA cooperation for the next two years on trade and investment, energy transition, and security.

South African exports to the UK supported over 137,000 jobs in 2020 – the Foreign Secretary will boost this with the renewal of a risk-sharing partnership between British International Investment and Standard Chartered to provide trade finance for SMEs and corporates operating across Africa and Asia.

No growth can be truly inclusive nor effective unless it is green. In both Nigeria and South Africa, the Foreign Secretary will build on the momentum from his Kew Lecture to encourage green growth and climate cooperation. In South Africa the Foreign Secretary will celebrate climate innovation at the Earthshot+ thought leadership conference. Founded by Prince William, The Earthshot Prize is a global environmental prize and platform designed to discover, accelerate and scale ground-breaking solutions to repair and regenerate the planet. The Foreign Secretary will speak with these innovators to understand how the UK can support and help channel finance to where biodiversity, climate risk and energy needs are greatest. He will announce a further Biodiversity Challenge Fund to help tackle the illegal wildlife trade and technical assistance to support South Africa’s energy transition.