The first-ever Scotland London Africa Business Week, organised by the Scottish Africa Business Association (SABA), was a landmark event that brought together key industry leaders, Ambassadors, High Commissioners, Scottish Government Ministers, innovators, UK politicians, and entrepreneurs from Scotland, London, and Africa. The programme was filled with insightful discussions, round tables, briefings, meetings and networking opportunities, making it a memorable experience for all our delegates and distinguished guests.
DAY ONE:
A Grand Start at the Houses of Parliament
The business programme kicked off with a visit to the iconic Houses of Parliament, thanks to Chris Murray MP. The grandeur of the historic building set the tone for the event, as our delegates from various sectors gathered to hear from the High Commissioner of Rwanda, His Excellency Johnston Busingye, and his team about the opportunities available for Scottish businesses in the country and the ease of doing so. We learned that Rwanda is actively promoting renewable energy – particularly solar and hydropower – to meet its growing energy demands and there are opportunities for investment in off-grid solutions, especially in rural areas. With a growing population and increasing urbanisation, we learned that the demand for affordable housing is high with a push towards sustainable and eco-friendly construction practices. The meeting was charged with excitement and anticipation, as our delegates eagerly asked about green energy practices, aquaculture and geodata, rounding off with a unanimous agreement that Rwanda had an abundance of possibilities for business engagement.
Chris Murray MP highlighted that there are over 35 Scottish MPs in the Labour Party, all of whom were keen to support Scottish businesses and that their door was always open.
Engaging Sessions at the House of Lords
After a short break to take in some of the sights around Westminster, we participated in the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Africa at the House of Lords. The dynamic cross-party group is lead by Lord Oates and aims to foster mutually beneficial relationships between the UK and African nations, working to enhance understanding of contemporary African and Pan-African issues within the UK Parliament. The group is one of the most active APPGs in the UK Parliament and the Royal African Society, one of our partners for the week, serves as the secretariat.
Our delegates heard an update from the COP29 discussions and the focus on UK-Africa partnerships for just energy transitions, exploring equitable pathways for energy development across Africa, focussing on sustainable and inclusive energy solutions. We heard how the Group was addressing the interconnected challenges of climate change, conflict and democratic shifts in Africa and we were thrilled when some of our delegates were given the opportunity to ask questions and get directly involved in some of the high-level discussions.
Lord Oates was pleased to see the private sector taking such interest in the African market and kindly offered to welcome back on our next return to London.
Historic Dover House: A Hub of Activity
We were fortunate to be given permission by the Secretary of State for Scotland, the Rt Hon Ian Murray MP to host our largest networking event of the programme at Dover House, with its rich history and elegant architecture. We were joined by Ambassadors, High Commissioners, partners from as far afield as Ghana, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire (who came to London specifically for this event) as well as representatives from African trade associations, key industry leaders and partners – all there to meet with our delegates.
The event, chaired by our Chief Operating Officer, Seona Shand, included a keynote from Cathryn Law, the Director of the Bilateral Tarde Relations Directorate at the Department for Business and Trade before SABA’s Chief Executive, Frazer Lang, highlighted the significant importance of Africa to the Scottish private sector, offering a wealth of opportunities across various industries and how SABA has formed strategic alliances with Governments, networks, partners, trade organisations and businesses throughout the continent, ensuring Scottish companies are well positioned to promote their goods and services to Africa’s growing economies and young, dynamic population.
Diageo kindly provided a fabulous bar at which they served an incredible Scottish whisky cocktail – very apt considering the value of exports to Sub-Saharan Africa is around £162 million! After business cards were exchanged, meetings were set up, opportunities were discussed and stories exchanged, we headed off to the Horse & Guardsman, a traditional London pub, for a debrief only to be greeted by an incredible Welsh choir who entertained us with some fabulous singing.
DAY TWO:
Shaping a Brighter Future at Scotland House
The morning started with the team from SABA meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Angus Robertson MSP for a briefing about our work. Scotland continues to maintain strong ties with African nations with many receiving their education from Scottish Universities and Colleges, with over 8,000 currently studying here.
Scotland’s greatest exports in Africa are to Nigeria – from energy to machinery and whisky to chemicals, one of the reasons the country is documented in the Scottish Government’s strategy ‘A Trading Nation’ and emphasises the importance of strengthening trade relationships and exploring new opportunities. However, CEO of SABA, highlighted that although the Scottish Government wants to maximise the impact of international trade through more targeted initiatives elsewhere across the globe, there could be huge benefits to the Scottish economy for businesses to trade with Africa – particularly the likes of Kenya, Ghana, Rwanda, Namibia, Mozambique and Rwanda and that SABA was keen to help develop these markets through our extensive network to Governments, Ministers, private sector businesses, partners and trade associations.
Our delegates then had the opportunity to hear from Mrs Diana Afriyie Addo, the Head of Trade and Investment Section at the Ghana High Commission along with His Excellency Jeremiah Nyamane Mamabolo, High Commissioner to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from South Africa. Our distinguished guests were also joined by SABA board member, Elaine Alexander, who has over 20 years’ experience working in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries sector development in Sub Saharan Africa including her role as Deputy Director-General: Economic Development International Trade and Marketing, for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Chief Director: Sector Development Agriculture and Agro-processing in the Department of Trade and Industry, South Africa, making her a respected figure in her field.
Trade relationships to these countries are supported by historical ties, educational exchanges and mutual economic interests. SABA recently took a delegation to the West African Energy Summit in Ghana, evidencing Scotland’s involvement in the energy sector providing expertise and services with education and skills training at the heart of conversations.
After the country briefings, our delegates quizzed our panellists about the move to clean energy, housing, fintech and water security before heading off to the next event.
A Fireside Chat at Marlborough House
Marlborough House, known for its cultural significance, was the venue for our fireside chat, chaired by our Chief Operating Officer, Seona Shand and networking, thanks to The Commonwealth Secretariat.
Our panellists included Frazer Lang – CEO of SABA, Dr Ben Addom – international development export with technical and policy experience leading the design and validation of a data management framework at The Commonwealth, Janet Roban – CEO of the Royal African Society, Agnes Gitau – Executive Director for the Eastern Africa Association, Shakira Phiri – Trade Attache in the Malawian Mission in London and Elaine Alexander – SABA board member.
Our speakers discussed the significance of the trade relationship between Scotland and Africa and what future expansion opportunities they envisaged. Scotland’s rich history in innovation was highlighted as a benefit for collaborative working and the importance of data for so many sectors including agriculture, clean energy and the importance of the space sector. Skills training and education, tourism, healthcare, marine and housing were also raised with the offer from our Scottish delegates that we are here to help with all of the above and the importance of our involvement being beneficial for the local communities in which we work.
Our delegates were then given the opportunity to network with our guests in the magnificent surroundings of Marlborough House.
Networking: Building Bridges for the Future
After two incredibly full days, we headed off to Diageo who hosted us for an informal drinks reception. We learned about the origins of some of the whisky now produced by Diageo, and how some remain respected brands known for their quality and historical significance.
Our sponsors of the event, Interocean, said a few words about the importance of operating internationally, of bringing people together and how pleased they were to be supporting the event and the wider business programme. The company actively engages with the communities in which they operate ensuring their activities have a positive social impact and their involvement is certainly evidence of this.
The rooftop terrace was breath-taking – literally! The views over London were spectacular and it was a great chance for everybody to relax, enjoy some great Scottish hospitality and get to know each other better.
DAY THREE:
Scotland and Côte d’Ivoire: Uniting for Business
On the final day we were delighted to meet with Her Excellency Mrs Sara Amani, the first female Ambassador of Côte d’Ivoire to the UK, serving in the role to foster diplomatic relationships and her team.
Our delegates were given the chance to present their companies and the work they currently undertake throughout Africa before reciprocal presentations were given highlighting agriculture, energy, crop research, aquaculture and fintech as sectors of interest. We learned that the country is the world’s largest exporter of cocoa and raw cashew nuts but also produce coffee, palm oil and rubber.
We met with the Centre de Promotion des Investissements en Côte d’Ivoire (CEPICI), the primary agency for promoting and facilitating investment and heard about some of their key initiatives and recent activities, making it easier for businesses to thrive and contribute to the country’s economic growth.
We were incredibly impressed with the opportunities available and a huge thanks must go to Jan who did an excellent job of translating.
We finished with a traditional lunch (which went down very well) before our delegates departed to head back to Scotland.
Conclusion
The first Scotland London Africa Week was a resounding success, thanks to the dedication and enthusiasm of all our delegates. The event not only highlighted the potential for collaboration between Scotland and Africa through the London ecohub and underscored the importance of promoting Scotland as a country keen to partner, keen to learn, keen to teach and keen to leave a positive legacy.
As we look forward to future editions of this event (and sectoral evolutions), we can be confident that the connections made and the conversations started during this business programme will continue to inspire and drive positive change.
If you’re keen to get involved in our next iteration of the Scotland London Africa Week, just get in touch – info@africascot.com.
Testimonials
FRANK BURNS - Norco
“Thanks for a great week, really enjoyed listening and learning about all your companies. Frazer, Seona thank you for everything.”
JACQUI MASSIE – City of Glasgow College
“Thank you Frazer and Seona for organising such a great event. The sessions were really informative, the networking very productive and such a lovely bunch of people in the delegation. Lovely to meet you all and I look forward to some collaborative working, or even some more Welsh singing, in the future.”
KELLY MURRAY - Fugro
“Thanks to everyone for being such great company the last few days, and I hope we can help each other going forwards. Big thanks to Seona and Frazer.”
BRYAN RODGERS – Heriot Watt University
“I just wanted to drop you a note to express my thanks for all of your efforts during the last few days, I am only too aware of the amount of effort and organisation that goes into both planning and organising such events. Aside from the impeccable organisation, I found the events highly valuable and now have a detailed range of things to follow up on.”
ZAK STARK – Forth Valley College
“It was really good to meet you all and great connections made. Thanks so much to Frazer and Seona for a well organised event. The venues, food and people have all been amazing.”
DOUGLAS THOMSON - City of Glasgow College
“Thanks to Frazer and Seona for organising such a brilliant event. Nice to meet you all, and hope to see you all soon….maybe even in Africa!”
JAMIE ALLAN – Forth Valley College
“Thanks Frazer and Seona for an incredible week! Great to meet everyone and looking forward to future discussions and events, particularly the trips to Africa next year. That lunch a wee while ago today was hands down the best I’ve had all year, très delicieux!”
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