Britain’s Africa Minister, Mark Simmons, has encouraged businesses in the North-West of England to take advantage of opportunities to do business with African nations.
During a conference with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) which took place in Trafford earlier this week, Simmonds described Africa as the ‘economic landscape of the future’ and cited 5 countries, Tanzania, Mozambique, Ivory Coast, Angola and Ghana, as potential ‘high level prosperity partnerships’ according to TheBusinessDesk.
He added ‘If you are an ambitious business in Manchester or the North West, you should consider looking at Africa as a potential new export market for your goods and services. This is not just oil and gas, it’s education, agriculture, chemicals, retail. And it is all part of the journey of Africa’s growth and it’s people becoming more affluent and a rising middle class.’
The panellists at the conference, which was hosted by Barclays, PwC and DLA Pepper, said that Africa on a whole has seen significant economic growth despite the recent financial crisis and is expected to grow by 6 percent over the next four years.
Simmonds also stated:’I am focused on delivering a step change in the business UK companies do in African markets, which I recognise are not necessarily countries exporters would naturally look to, and how the British Government can support them.’
He added that the government will ‘provide support to businesses who want to access most African countries’ markets.’
