Bilateral Trade: United Kingdom and Africa

Lord Sheikh Excerpts

Wednesday 11th November 2015 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord Sheikh]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to encourage more bilateral trade between the United Kingdom and African countries.

[The Earl of Courtown (Con)]

My Lords, I take this opportunity to remind the House that this is strictly a 60-minute debate and apart from my noble friend Lord Sheikh, who will have 10 minutes, and my noble friend Lord Maude of Horsham, who will have 12 minutes, noble Lords are restricted to four minutes per speech. Once the counter is on four, noble Lords have had their time.

[Lord Sheikh (Con)]

My Lords, I am grateful for the opportunity to bring this important subject before your Lordships’ House, and thank all noble Lords who are taking part in this debate.

The African continent holds a very special place in my heart. I was born in Kenya and spent my formative years in Uganda. During my lifetime I have travelled to many African countries in both a personal and a professional context. I have spoken to many African politicians and businessmen, and attended meetings and conferences. I enjoy good relationships with several African ambassadors and high commissioners. I have learnt much about what Africa has to offer.

I have spoken previously in your Lordships’ House about the need to promote more business between the United Kingdom and overseas countries—an issue that is indeed very relevant to African countries. We must focus on fast-growing emerging economies and those that have yet to be tapped. This is important, not least at a time when we are still finishing the job of rebuilding our own economy.

My involvement with Africa stretches beyond your Lordships’ House. Recently I spoke at an event for the Southern African Development Community, and hosted and spoke at an event for the Economic Community of West African States. I also recently made a keynote speech at a major conference on trade with Uganda. More personally, I have met businessmen who are seeking to further trade between the UK and Ghana, including the King of the Ashanti region in Ghana. I was also given a lifetime achievement award by the Association for African Owned Enterprises for my involvement in trade with Africa. Later on today I am hosting and chairing a conference on trade with countries in the Central African Economic and Monetary Community. About four weeks ago, I spent several days in Ethiopia investigating business and investment opportunities in that country.

My engagements continue to reinforce what I have always known. As a continent, Africa is thriving, and its outlook is extremely impressive. Its GDP is expected to grow by 4.5% this year and 5% next year. It is widely predicted that Africa could account for 7% of the global economy by 2040. However, as impressive as this is, we must not fall into the trap of looking at Africa as merely a bloc. It is in fact a rich and diverse region of 54 countries, offering a variety of cultures, languages and histories. From a trading point of view, this means a whole host of varying economies, businesses and Governments with which we can engage. Many different African states are currently or have recently been members of the much-admired “7% club”. Last year, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Chad, Mali, Tanzania and Rwanda all achieved growth of 7% or more.

I believe that the tendency to view Africa as an “all-in-one” model is a major challenge that businesses must look to overcome. There are many specific opportunities in different parts of the continent. I will cite examples from my recent trip to Ethiopia. Ethiopia’s economy has grown by 10.9% per year, on average, over the past decade. I was told of investment opportunities in a number of industries, including agriculture, fishing, mining and, perhaps most notably, infrastructure and construction projects.

There are opportunities in various sectors in different parts of Africa. We should be doing all we can to help our businesses identify and take advantage of these openings. I am aware of the high-value opportunities programme offered by UKTI, which seeks to provide assistance in this respect. Many projects and contracts are very large, and wide in scope; it is important that businesses be able to find specific areas to which their operations are suited. Can the Minister clarify what success this programme has had regarding opportunities in African countries, and whether it provides specialist support for smaller businesses?

We must not underestimate the market for Islamic financial products in many African countries. The UK has the largest Islamic finance industry outside the Muslim world. I am heavily involved in the maintenance and promotion of Islamic finance. I have co-chaired the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Islamic Finance, which is now being re-formed. I also serve as a patron of the Islamic Finance Council. The council recently held an international conference on Islamic finance in Edinburgh, during which I shared a platform with the Emir of Kano in Nigeria. The council has delivered key projects in Nigeria and Kenya. Ethiopia has shown an interest in Islamic finance, which we are pursuing.

On finance for business services, I am pleased that London is a major centre for the provision of funds for overseas investments. This includes British and foreign banks based here. The World Bank lists Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast, Senegal and the DRC as among the most improved economies for ease of doing business.

Much progress has also been made in relation to democracy in the continent. Approximately half the African nations have ratified the African Charter on Democracy, Governance and Elections. Similarly, approximately half have also ratified the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. These countries are changing, and there should not be the same stigma attached to doing business with them as there once was.

I believe that we can play our part in making it easier to do business by smoothing out our visa regime. I am told that there have been some problems, but I hope the Government will undertake to make our visa regime more accommodating towards building business relationships. Perhaps my noble friend the Minister would like to comment on the question of visas.

Ultimately, we should look to increase the frequency of delegations and trade missions. We must maximise the potential of deploying experienced trade envoys to seek out new opportunities. The main business meeting I had in Ethiopia involved the British Council and DfID, as well as the person dealing with commercial matters at the embassy. Such a cross-party approach was refreshing and very useful. I would like to see and experience more of this type of joined-up thinking in all our embassies and high commissions. Is this indeed the culture at embassies and high commissions overseas, as well as at departments in London? It is desirable to have collaboration between the Foreign Office, DfID and, of course, UKTI. Does the Minister envisage more of our own Ministers visiting Africa and attending trade missions and conferences in London? In addition, will he look at the potential to increase the frequency of missions and the opportunities for businesses to get involved?

I believe that aid and trade go hand in hand. Those in countries such as Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania receive significant amounts of aid from DfID. This support is very welcome, but only through increased trade will we help communities and economies to flourish in the longer term. We must concentrate on trade as well as aid.