The Lord Mayor of London, global ambassador for the UK’s financial and professional services industry, is visiting Nigeria at the head of a City and business delegation this week with the aim of strengthening trade links with the City of London.
Charles Bowman, the Lord Mayor, will meet government and business leaders, regulators, and trade bodies in Abuja and Lagos, including the Vice President of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo.
He will be discussing how the City of London works with companies from across the world as they invest for growth domestically and abroad, and the importance of maintaining those links. He will also highlight the close capital markets relationship between the UK and Nigeria as the London Stock Exchange supports growing Nigerian businesses, as well as how London’s booming FinTech sector can partner with Nigerian businesses of the future.
The City of London is a world leading centre for infrastructure finance, and project management and while in Nigeria the Lord Mayor will meet with government and business figures to discuss how London’s expertise can be used to develop Nigeria’s infrastructure as the country grows, develops, and urbanises.
The Lord Mayor will also be following up on the positive UK-Nigeria engagement that occurred during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, and the Commonwealth Business Forum, held in London in April. He will give a keynote speech in Lagos on all that the City of London can offer Commonwealth countries such as Nigeria as they invest for the future.
Lord Mayor Bowman, the 690th incumbent of a role that dates back centuries, is the head of London’s ‘Square Mile,’ or financial district, and has plans to visit 27 countries over the course of his year in office. Charles Bowman is an accountant by profession, and is a Senior Partner at PwC in London.
The Lord Mayor will be visiting Nigeria accompanied by a delegation of City figures, as well as a business delegation of leading City firms including Open Vector, The London Stock Exchange Group, and CWEIC.
Commenting on his visit to Nigeria, Charles Bowman, the Lord Mayor of London said: “When I was elected Lord Mayor I made clear that visiting dynamic and growing countries across the world was a priority. Nigeria is clearly one of these, being both vibrant and ambitious.
“I’m looking forward to discussing how we can boost collaboration between the UK and Nigeria with senior government and business representatives including the Deputy Governor of the Nigerian Central Bank, the Industry, Trade and Investment Minister, and representatives of Nigeria’s growing fintech sector.
“I am particularly keen to speak about how London, as the world’s most international financial centre, can drive growth and investment across Nigeria.
“Continuing our close engagement following the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London earlier this year is a key step in deepening our relationship.”
“I’m sure that my visit will be hugely productive and help to build business links to bind our two countries closer together.”
In a statement from the UK’s ambassador to Nigeria, Paul Arkwright said:
“I’m delighted that the Lord Mayor of the City of London is coming to Nigeria. His visit demonstrates the interest for Nigeria that exists among providers of financial services, insurance services and legal services in the UK. It demonstrates that there are a lot more opportunities for win-win partnerships and learning across our two countries that we want to capitalise on.
