The UK Minister for Business and Trade, Kemi Badenoch, has arrived Nigeria on a 3-day working visit aimed at deepen the UK-Nigeria partnership, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office of the British Deputy High Commission in Lagos has announced
Following the former Foreign Secretary’s visit to Nigeria in August 2023, and last week’s UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Talks, Minister Badenoch’s visit is expected to take forward ongoing efforts by both countries to boost the UK- Nigeria trade relationship and unlock new investment opportunities.
While in Nigeria, the Embassy said the Minister, along with the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Nigeria, Helen Grant, would meet with key Federal Government officials, State Governors as well as British and Nigerian business leaders and investors.
The Uak Minister would use these meetings to explore current and potential investment and trade activities from education to infrastructure and energy projects, with a potential to create thousands of jobs.
Also, the visiting Minister would look to further strengthen the UK-Nigeria partnership, remove barriers to trade and investment, grow business between the two countries, and ensure the City of London’s enabling role for international business was more accessible to Nigeria.
The Nigeria, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Richard Montgomery described Nigeria as one of the UK’s most important partners in Africa, adding that the UK government was committed to helping Nigeria unlock new investments opportunities, supporting more UK and international investment through the City of London, thereby creating jobs in both our countries.
“Recent big and bold reforms by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Central Bank are boosting optimism amongst international investors that the country is on the right path and are creating the conditions for growth,” he said.
Since her appointment as Secretary of State for the Department for Business and Trade on February 7, 2023, Badenoch has remained Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade on, which she was appointed to on September 6, 2022, and Minister for Women and Equalities for the Equality Hub since October 25, 2022.
Before her present office, she was Minister of State at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities between September 16,2021 and July 6, 2022 and Minister of State (Minister for Equalities) in the Equality Hub between February 14, 2020 and July 2022.
The Secretary of State has overall responsibility for the Department for Business and trade.
