Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they (1) are providing, or (2) intend to provide, technical assistance to any oil-rich less economically developed country in order for any such country to develop its non-oil private sector.

We cannot meet Sustainable Development Goal 7 or the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement without a clean energy transition that leaves no-one behind. It is vital that oil-rich developing countries are able to make the clean energy transition and the UK Government is helping them to achieve that.

FCDO funds a portfolio of programmes supporting investment climate reform, which is one of the biggest barriers to business growth and job creation in developing countries. The Manufacturing Africa (MA) programme aims to increase foreign direct investment into manufacturing in a range of African countries, including countries with proven oil reserves such as Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda. Over the next decade, the programme will help create an estimated 90,000 jobs and generate £1.2bn of additional foreign direct investment.

The Cities and Infrastructure for Growth (CIG) programme is supporting national and city governments, including in Uganda, to identify, develop and unlock finance for infrastructure projects that are key to enhance urban productivity and remove critical constraints to businesses growth and competitiveness. Examples include supporting the prioritisation, design and development of infrastructure projects in Kampala, including the Kampala Industrial Park.

In Nigeria, the UK is supporting the Nigerian government's Solar Power Naija scheme which aims to achieve 5m new off-grid solar energy connections by 2023 and develop Nigeria's manufacturing capacity.