Britain has appointed Benedict Llewellyn-Jones, as the new British Deputy High Commissioner (DHC) in Lagos, Nigeria. He replaces Harriet Thompson, who has concluded four years as DHC in Abuja and Lagos.
The Press and Public Affairs Officer, British Deputy High Commission, Lagos, Ndidiamaka Eze, in a statement announced the change.
Llewellyn-Jones is an experienced diplomat, with experiences in different parts of the world, including Nigeria.
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Llewellyn-Jones had previously worked at the British High Commission in Abuja as a Political Counsellor between July 2014 to July 2017. He was most recently Deputy High Commissioner to South Africa from August 2017 to August 2020, where he worked to support trade and investment.
He has been British High Commissioner to Rwanda and non-resident Ambassador to Burundi since January 2011.
Benedict joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2007. He has previously served in the UK’s Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels and as Head of the Zimbabwe team at the FCO in London.
Benedict, a graduate of the University of Oxford, has a considerable career experience in policing, drugs, crime policy, climate change policy and African affairs.
His career path is in line with Number 10 Downing Streets’ plan to increase trade and investment from outside the European Union.
His Exploits For Queen and Country earned him the award, Order of the British Empire (OBE) by HM the Queen in 2009. He enjoys sport, particularly rugby and boxing. He is married to Laura Llewellyn-Jones and they have two young children.