UK Prime Minister on a shopping trip to Africa

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Theresa May priorities Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa as she proceeds on her first official visit to the continent of Africa since becoming prime minister.
Prime Minister Theresa May with President Ramaphosa.

Economic analysts has predicted Africa to be the next best investment destination and post Brexit, Britain is positioning to have a better advantage because of colonial ties ahead of other G7 nations.

The bilateral trip which is aimed at removing barriers to exporting British goods to Africa will discuss plans to eradicate modern day Slavery.
The PM will be visiting victims and survivals of Modern Day Slavery and highlight the British government’s commitment to ending this scourge.
The Prime Minister will be in Nigeria on Wednesday 29th August where she will have a bilateral with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja. She will then travel to Lagos where she will have bilateral meeting with State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode. She will then meet victims of Modern Slavery in Lagos and host a business networking reception in the evening.
On Thursday 30th August, The Prime Minister will be in Nairobi, Kenya where she will hold a bilateral meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta and take part in a joint press conference. She will also sign a security compact and visit an anti-IED centre.
The visit which took off today, Tuesday 28 August started with South Africa. Speaking at reception organised by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the PM said, “We want to build on the strong foundation of our economic relationship to ensure the prosperity and security of our people.

The UK is one of South Africa’s largest trading partners, with our trade worth over £9 billion last year.

And we have agreed that as the UK prepares to leave the EU – we must think about how to grow that trade in the future.

So today, as we’ve just witnessed, we have signed a Joint Statement with South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Eswatini to ensure the provisions of the region’s current trade deal with the EU continue after this agreement no longer applies to the United Kingdom.

This important step will provide the strong foundations on which we can build a closer trade and investment partnership in the future that brings even greater benefits for both sides.

The UK has long been the biggest investor in South Africa, and is the second biggest investor across Africa.

And as I said in my speech today, my ambition is for the UK to be the number one G7 investor in Africa by 2022.

As we discussed in London, the UK fully supports your drive, Mr President, to attract more investment to South Africa so as to create jobs and economic growth.

And I want to see British companies play a central role in helping you achieve your ambitions, helping create and sustain high quality jobs for the people of both our countries.

I’m sure this is something we will discuss further at our investment roundtable this afternoon with some of the British firms who are travelling with me this week.

Science and Innovation

The UK’s plan for jobs and growth is set out in our modern industrial strategy. That strategy has science, research and innovation at its heart and these themes are also a central part of our bilateral partnership.

Our world-class academics and researchers are collaborating at the cutting edge of scientific discovery to help solve shared problems, save lives, and shape a better world for our people.

We are partnering with you to train the next generation of South African scientists, and we will make more scholarships available for the brightest and best African students at world-class British universities – to support the continent’s talented future leaders and decision-makers as they develop their skills and careers.

Shared security

I look forward to discussing international issues with the President over lunch, in particular how we can work together to uphold the rules based international order as South Africa prepares to join the UN Security Council next year

So thank you again, Mr President, for the warm welcome you have given me today and for the productive discussions we’ve had.

We want to be South Africa’s partner as we deliver the better lives that our citizens aspire to and deserve. I look forward to continuing to work with you in the years ahead to deepen our friendship and to achieve our shared ambitions”.

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