UK to inject £30m through new partnership with African Union Commission

The UK is set to inject up to £30 million into prosperity and security projects across Africa as it steps up its investment in the continent, Harriett Baldwin, minister of State for Africa announced on Monday.

The funding boost comes as Britain signs a new strategic partnership with the African Union, strengthening the engagement between the continent and the UK Government.

Speaking ahead of the signing of the partnership at the African Union Commission Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Baldwin said:

“From our support to observers ensuring free and fair elections in Nigeria and Senegal this weekend, to the crucial training our Armed Forces provides to security forces in Kenya, the UK’s partnership with African countries continues to help empower and upskill people across the continent, and this funding will allow us to boost those efforts.

“Our new partnership will also cement our relationship with the African Union, building on growing economic ties to forge new opportunities for young people and reinforce our close bonds.”

The partnership will strengthen cooperation on security and prosperity, and support a joined up approach to tackle climate change.

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The funding, which forms part of the partnership agreement, and will be spread over three years, will be used to train peacekeepers in Kenya, assist free and fair elections, and support the next phase of negotiations for the African Continental Free Trade Area.

The signing of the strategic partnership also allows the UK to support African-led ambitions with British expertise, to create more opportunities and more jobs.

Baldwin’s visit to Ethiopia comes after Prime Minister Theresa May visited Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa in August to set out her vision for the UK’s future partnership with Africa and the UK’s aim to be the largest G7 investor in Africa by 2022.

It also follows the rapid expansion of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s diplomatic network in the region, including plans to open new embassies in Djibouti, Chad, Niger, Eswatini and Lesotho, and recruit more diplomats with new skills-sets, including in trade and investment.

HOPE MOSES-ASHIKE

Hope Moses-Ashike is an Associate Editor, Banking and Finance, with more than a decade of experience reporting on Nigeria’s financial system and broader economy. She closely tracks market movements, monetary policy decisions, company disclosures, regulatory actions, economic indicators, and global developments, and interprets what they mean for businesses, investors, policymakers, and households. Her reporting helps readers understand complex issues such as inflation trends, foreign exchange market dynamics, interest rate decisions, bank performance, and investment risks. She also covers major international events and periodically travels to Washington, D.C., to report on the World Bank/IMF Spring and Annual Meetings. Her dedication to financial journalism has earned her multiple recognitions and invitations to high-level professional development programmes. She is an alumna of the International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP) in the United States and holds an Advanced Financial Journalism Certificate from the Press Association Training in London, UK. Her other notable achievements include completing the Lagos Business School CMC Programme, the Bloomberg Media Africa Initiative Programme, and a Master Class in Journalism at Rhodes University in South Africa.