PM address to Africa Investment Conference: 20 January 2022
Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the Africa Investment Conference virtually.
Welcome to the Africa Investment Conference.
A wonderful moment to be able to focus on the amazing opportunities in a spectacular continent, with vast resources and over a billion people.
By 2050, Africa’s population is set to double to 2.5 billion and the mother continent of humanity will be home to a quarter of the world’s population.
As that day approaches, Africa is transforming its fortunes by means of trade and investment and I want Britain to be with you every step of the journey.
We’re already one of Africa’s biggest commercial partners - we’ve signed nine free trade agreements with our African friends, and in this financial year alone our embassies and high commissions helped British companies to invest £2.5 billion in Africa.
But I am determined to do much more. Our shared task must be to ensure that Africa prospers from the green industrial revolution, that will rescue humanity from catastrophic climate change.
The UK is already the biggest investor for instance in renewable energy in South Africa.
Now we want to work alongside our African partners to build new and high-quality infrastructure according to the highest standards of transparency and environmental protection, which is why we’ve launched the Clean Green Initiative.
We want to support African countries that are already suffering the effects of climate change, and one export guarantee from the British Government will allow 87 emergency bridges made in Gloucestershire to be used to strengthen flood defences in Ghana.
We want to be Africa’s partner of choice and if we get this right, then free trade and investment will be the most formidable tools in our hands to generate economic growth and allow Africa to thrive.
Thank you.