Following his recent appointment, Tobias Elwood, the new UK minister for Africa, on Monday issued a statement on the country’s special relationship with Nigeria and the entire African continent of Africa, stating that Uk’s pre-existing models for cooperation with the continent will not change but subsist even after it finally leaves the European Union.
“I am incredibly honoured to be continuing as a UK foreign office minister and very pleased to take on responsibility for our work in Africa. The UK has strong and enduring links with Africa and I want to ensure African people know that this international cooperation and our engagement with the continent will continue even once the UK is outside the EU,” said Elwood.
This, he explained, includes established arrangements for working with France and the US on a joint approach to tackling the threats from Boko Haram in Nigeria, dealing with the effects of the Ebola outbreak and helping to improve security in Somalia.
Further commenting on the issue of security, the minister said that, in order to boost Africa’s economies, it is also crucial to improve stability and security across the continent, particularly in East Africa.
“We will continue to work with the African Union (AU) and through our role on the UN Security Council (UNSC) on these important issues,” he assured.
Elwood noted that the economic potential of Africa is vast with one third of all African economies expected to grow by 5 percent or more this year, and that the UK’s diplomatic network of 36 African posts, 19 British Council offices and 16 DFID offices, the country remains well placed to work with Africa to maximize what he called “this economic potential and the opportunities for prosperity it offers.”
According to him, given that 1 in 3 people in Africa are aged between 10 and 24, ensuring they have hope for the future is also vital.
YANGE IKYAA
