Kemi Badenoch, the UK Minister for Business and Trade, has touched down in Nigeria for a concentrated 72-hour itinerary aimed at deepening the collaboration between the UK and Nigeria while uncovering fresh investment prospects.
This announcement was relayed via an official statement issued by the British High Commission in Nigeria.
The visit, stemming from the prior visit of the former Foreign Secretary to Nigeria in August 2023 and recent UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Talks, underscores the ongoing efforts of both nations to fortify their trade alliance.
Minister Badenoch’s agenda during this visit is laser-focused on augmenting the UK-Nigeria partnership, dismantling trade and investment obstacles, fostering business growth between the two nations, and enhancing accessibility to the City of London’s facilitating role for global business, particularly for Nigeria.
In a statement, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery, emphasised Nigeria’s pivotal role as one of the UK’s foremost partners in Africa. He affirmed the UK’s commitment to catalysing new investment avenues, facilitating UK and international investment through the City of London, and generating employment opportunities in both countries. He commended recent reforms by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Central Bank, fostering optimism among international investors and paving the way for growth.
During her stay in Nigeria, Minister Kemi Badenoch, alongside the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Nigeria, Helen Grant, will engage in discussions with the Federal Government of Nigeria, state governors, as well as British and Nigerian business magnates and investors.
The ministerial discussions will encompass ongoing and prospective investment and trade initiatives spanning sectors from education to infrastructure and energy, with the potential to spawn thousands of employment opportunities.
Kemi Badenoch, assuming office as Secretary of State for the Department for Business and Trade on February 7, 2023, retains her positions as Secretary of State for International Trade, President of the Board of Trade, and Minister for Women and Equalities for the Equality Hub, which she assumed on October 25, 2022.