UK Minister for Business and Trade in Nigeria for three-day visit

This was disclosed in a statement by the British High Commission in Nigeria.

According to the statement, the visit is a fallout of the former Foreign Secretary’s visit to Nigeria in August 2023, and last week’s UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Talks.

The statement also noted that “Minister Badenoch will look to further strengthen the UK-Nigeria partnership, remove barriers to trade and investment, grow business between the two countries, and ensure the City of London’s enabling role for international business is more accessible to Nigeria”.

Commenting on her visit to Nigeria, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Richard Montgomery said: 

“Nigeria is one of the UK’s most important partners in Africa. We are committed to helping Nigeria unlock new investments opportunities, supporting more UK and international investment through the City of London, and thereby creating jobs in both our countries.Recent big and bold reforms by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Central Bank are boosting optimism amongst international investors that the country is on the right path and are creating the conditions for growth.”

While in Nigeria, Minister Kemi Badenoch and the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Nigeria, Helen Grant will have meetings with the Federal Government of Nigeria, State Governors as well as British and Nigerian business leaders and investors.  

The Minister will also use the meeting to explore current and potential investment and trade activities from education to infrastructure and energy projects, with a potential to create thousands of jobs. 

Kemi Badenoch, was appointed Secretary of State for the Department for Business and Trade on 7^th of  February 2023. She remains Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade, and Minister for Women and Equalities for the Equality Hub, which she was appointed to on 25 October 2022.