UK-based and African-based businesses will hold a virtual meeting on 20th January 2021 to discuss business and investment opportunities for investors in the two regions. This will be the second UK-Africa summit, after the first event in January this year raised over £6.5 billion worth of investments in infrastructure, energy, tech, and retail sectors.
In a press statement, UK’s Trade Commissioner for Africa, Emma Wade-Smith OBE said, “The Africa Investment Conference will build on the achievements of 2020’s landmark UK-Africa Investment Summit.”
The meeting will provide investment opportunities for businesses and drive economic recovery in the UK and Africa following the economic slump caused by the covid19 pandemic.
The Minister for Investment in the UK Gerry Grimstone said that Africa’s economic and investment opportunities are huge, and the partnership between UK and African businesses will enable the entities to benefit from trade and investment opportunities, now and in the future.
The UK is positioning itself to be ‘Africa’s investment partner of choice’ as it prepares to leave the European Union at the end of this year. 14 African nations, including Kenya, have signed trade agreements with the UK to allow free access for goods from the UK and Africa to their respective markets. The agreements, coming into effect in January 2021, are expected to solidify trade ties between the UK and Africa.
