LONDON, 27 November 2021, (TON): In the first visit by UK ministers since 2019, the Africa Minister opened the Friends of the Gulf of Guinea conference to reiterate the importance of keeping trade routes flowing freely in West Africa and combating piracy.

In her speech, the Minister committed to being a fierce champion of enterprise and trade and said counter-piracy efforts in the region have been a key part the UK’s G7 Presidency.

On the day the FCDO announced the launch of British International Investment (BII), the UK’s development finance institution, the Africa Minister visited the Port of Dakar to see the transformative impact UK investment will have in Senegal and beyond.

Earlier this year, CDC (to be rebranded as BII in April 2022) committed to invest an initial $320 million in ports and logistics infrastructure across Africa, with a further $400 million over several years, in partnership with DP World.

The planned expansion of port facilities in Dakar as part of this announcement will be Senegal’s largest ever onshore foreign direct investment and will help to drive free trade and economic growth.

The UK aims to mobilise £8 billion of financing a year by 2025 for Africa, the Caribbean and Asia. We are scaling up our finance offer to like-minded partners around the world to support them to grow their economies sustainably and invest in quality, reliable infrastructure, boosting security and prosperity.