The recent victory by the UK’s Labour Party provides a timely moment to reassess the party’s Foreign policy, particularly its relations with Africa.
Conservative-led governments all but ignored the growing importance of Africans on the global stage over the past 14 years, and they consistently underestimated the contribution of African migrants to the UK’s economy. Foreign and domestic policies didn’t yield strong trade ties or security partnerships. All of this diminished Britain’s standing on the continent.
The result is that Britain’s influence in Africa has waned, while China and Russia have deepened their presence on the continent.
Join us to discuss the future of Africa UK relations under the leadership of Sir Keir Starmer, the webinar aims to understand through discussions how the UK plans to implement the proposed foreign policy and how this aligns with the aspirations of many countries in the region.
The discussion hosted by Zoom will be on Thursday, 25th July 10 AM – 11. 20 ( BST)
The discussion moderated by Aby Agina -Senior Anchor and Business Producer at CNBC Africa and hosted by Agnes Gitau -Executive Director UK & EU
Speakers:
-
H.E. Macenje Mazoka, Zambia’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
-
Baroness Verma, House of Lords: Former Energy and Climate Change Minister and former International Development Minister
-
Dirk Willem TE Velde, Director of the International Development Group and the Principal Research Fellow at ODI.
-
Joseph Ochieno, a writer and commentator on Africa Affairs, hails from Uganda.
-
Harry Burns is the Vice President and Head of Africa at Crestview Strategy.
-
Emma Ruiters, Senior Analyst at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and UK Africa Policy Advisor for the Labour Africa Network.
Discussion Topics
- UK-Africa Economic Partnership Agreements: Are these agreements mutually beneficial and aligned with Africa’s vision under AfCFTA?
- Infrastructure and technology investments: What role will these investments play in the renewed Africa-UK policy?
- Diplomatic relations and development aid: The Labour Government indicates a shift towards enhanced diplomatic relations and development aid, considering reforms in global governance. What does this look like in practical terms?
- Debt Management: With debt repayments and high interest rates impacting development in African countries, how can the UK play a constructive role in international debt restructuring and management efforts?
-
UK’s Private Sector in Africa: What assistance can British companies working in or with an interest in Africa expect from the UK Government.