International Development Secretary Alok Sharma visited Nigeria in his first overseas trip in the role to see how UK aid is helping to generate trade and investment opportunities – both for African and British businesses.

Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and during the two-day trip, which concluded on Friday 2 August, Mr Sharma met the country’s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as well as Nigerian and British business leaders.

They discussed the billions of pounds worth of opportunities for UK trade and investment ahead of the UK-Africa Investment Summit, which is due to take place in London next year.

Mr Sharma also visited the Viathan Independent Power Plant in Lagos – supported by UK aid – which provides power for street lights, schools, hospitals and public buildings, that are critical for Nigerians to access healthcare, education and employment.

He also went to Kaduna in northern Nigeria where he visited a primary school to see how UK aid is helping children receive at least 12 years of quality education.

The programme includes training teachers to deliver core subjects like English, maths and science, as well as improving school enrolment and attendance.

By 2050, 1 in 10 children will be born in Nigeria and the country needs more than 3.9 million new jobs every year to keep pace with population growth.

Since 2015, UK aid has helped 360,000 children gain a decent education in Nigeria which will in turn help them find jobs and boost incomes.

International Development Secretary Alok Sharma said:

“On my first overseas trip as International Development Secretary to Nigeria, I saw first-hand Africa’s potential and am excited at the prospect of helping to develop this further at next year’s UK-Africa Investment Summit in London.

“I saw how a power plant, part-funded by UK aid, is lighting up schools and hospitals, creating jobs and supporting economic growth. This is lifting people out of poverty and helping to grow Britain’s trading partners of the future.

“A prosperous, growing and trading Nigeria is firmly in the UK’s interests and our relationship will continue to thrive as we leave the EU.”

This visit comes ahead of the UK-Africa Investment Summit – which is being co-ordinated by the Department for International Development, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Trade – which is due to take place in London in January 2020.

The UK-Africa Investment Summit will bring together businesses, governments and international organisations to strengthen the partnership between the UK and Africa and help generate billions of pounds of opportunities for both British and African businesses.

The UK aims to be the biggest G7 investor in Africa by 2022 and is supporting Nigeria’s economic development through specialist expertise and financial products such as bonds.

The UK is looking to provide £1 million through a new partnership with the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) to give countries like Nigeria the expertise they need to develop such local currency bonds.

Nigeria could, through these bonds, raise the finance it needs to invest in infrastructure and create jobs. Working through the London Stock Exchange and GuarantCo, it could borrow in Nigerian naira – its own currency – without taking on the significant risk associated with borrowing in foreign currencies such as US Dollars.

This would build on the success of India’s Masala Bond market in London. Mr Sharma was part of the team that helped develop the Masala bond market in London in his previous role as the Prime Minister’s Infrastructure Envoy to India. This allowed India to raise finance on the London Stock Exchange and invest in infrastructure and create jobs.

The UK will also support the Nigerian Government to introduce key economic policies through a new £3.5 million Champions of Change initiative. This will provide UK expertise to the Nigerian Government, so they can deliver better public services, help reduce poverty and ensure economic growth is for everyone.

In addition, UK aid is working on boosting future UK-Nigeria trading relations. For example, UK aid is supporting a new programme with the Nigeria Export Promotion Council to diversify Nigeria’s exports, help non-oil exporters comply with British standards and encourage British and Nigerian traders to work more closely together.

From 2015 to 2018, UK aid to Nigeria has helped:

• 3.5 million people to receive sustainable access to clean water and sanitation;

• 10.3 million children under five, adolescent girls and women to receive food and nutrition;

• An extra 350,000 women and girls to access modern methods of family planning.

Notes to editors

• The International Development Secretary also met the Governor of Lagos Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Governor of Kaduna Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai on his trip. They discussed, among other matters, next year’s UK-Africa Investment Summit.

Viathan Independent Power plant

• UK aid has provided experts through Nigeria’s Infrastructure Advisory Facility and financial support through CDC, the UK’s development finance institution fully owned by DFID, to help develop the power plant which is lifting Nigerians out of poverty. CDC’s initial 2015 investment helped catalyse the growth of the company and bring in other investors.

Local currency bonds

• The UK has already successfully established a market for ‘Masala Bonds’, which allows Indian firms to raise finance in rupees via the London Stock Exchange, and now intends to do the same for a range of African currencies, including Nigerian naira. This will allow African countries to raise the international finance they need to invest in infrastructure and job creation, without taking on the significant risk associated with borrowing in foreign currencies such as US Dollars. The UK is the largest supporter to the PIDG.

British expertise

• The new Champions of Change programme will provide direct technical knowledge and experts to the Federal Government of Nigeria, its agencies and independent regulators in key economic sectors. This will enhance technical expertise within the public sector with the aim of better delivery of public services that contribute to inclusive growth and poverty reduction. It will identify and work with ‘champions of change’ in the Nigerian public sector and support them to drive through important reforms necessary for better public services.

As part of a rolling refurbishment programme taking place across the UK, the Coal Authority is upgrading a pumping station near Doncaster.

Built in 1987, Brotherton Marsh, in Selby, North Yorkshire, controls water levels to protect agricultural land which has been affected by subsidence from historical coal mining.

To enable arable farming to take place on the surrounding fields, excess water is pumped, via a channel system, into the nearby River Aire.

Improvements include replacing 4 pumps in 2 separate chambers, the control panel, building services, and all the valves and pipework in the scheme’s compounds.

Tom Hams, assistant project manager, said:

This is the first time the facility has undergone a major overhaul and it should be at least 25 years before it needs another.

The 4 submersible pumps, which can each deliver a flow rate of up to 150 litres a second, are operated when the fields become waterlogged after heavy rainfall or if the river floods.

There will also be energy savings, thanks to the variable speed drives on the new pumps, but we won’t know exactly what these will be until the station has been running for a while.

The Coal Authority is prioritising investment in the 82 subsidence pumping stations for which it is liable.

Brotherton Marsh is being refurbished, along with Sour Lane, in Fishlake, Doncaster, as part of a £700,000 contract with JN Bentley Ltd.

Brotherton Marsh subsidence pumping station upgraded

Read how the Coal Authority is using new technology to help make significant savings at our pumping stations across Britain.

Chevening Scholarships are awarded to individuals with demonstrable leadership potential who also have strong academic backgrounds. The scholarship offers full financial support for future leaders to study for any eligible master’s degree at any UK university whilst also gaining access to a wide range of exclusive academic, professional, and cultural experiences.

Since the programme was created in 1983, over 50,000 outstanding professionals have had the opportunity to develop in the UK through Chevening. There are more than 1,500 scholarships on offer globally for the 2020/2021 academic year, demonstrating the UK’s ongoing commitment towards developing the leaders of tomorrow.

HM Ambassador Kate Smith CMG said:

I am delighted that Chevening is relaunching its programme in Greece. This is a programme that aims to support the most brilliant and exceptional Greek students. By taking advantage of the opportunity to pursue their postgraduate studies in a sophisticated academic environment, Chevening Scholars develop the foundations with which to build their future on back in Greece.

I would like to extend heartfelt thank you to the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation for the confidence it is showing for yet another year in this collaboration. Our common goal is to choose a unique young man or woman, who will impress us not only with his or her performance but also with his or her vision of bringing back to Greece the knowledge and experience which will have been gained in the United Kingdom.

Ms. Eva Lianou, General Director of the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, stated:

We are very pleased to continue our collaboration with the British Embassy in the framework of the Chevening Scholarship Programme for the academic year 2020/2021, which will enable a Greek student to pursue a fully-funded postgraduate program in the United Kingdom. This collaboration is part of the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation’s broader strategy to support activities targeted at all levels of education, aiming to enhance young people’s access to education.

Head of Scholarships at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ben Coates, said:

Chevening represents the very best of the UK, welcoming exceptional people from across the world to study, grow, and thrive at some of the world’s best universities. Chevening can be a transformative experience, not just for the scholars, but for their communities and countries as they return and use the benefit of their UK experience to make a positive difference in their chosen field.

Our universities promote the creation and exchange of information and ideas, as well as the building of knowledge and networks. Chevening Scholars find themselves immersed in that world, and leave the UK after their studies having grown academically, professionally, and personally as a result.

Since the programme started in 1983, many of those selected for this scholarship have gone on to become respected leaders across a range of sectors. Being a part of the Chevening network instils a strong sense of pride and responsibility, I have seen this first hand and am consistently impressed by the passion and commitment of the scholars and alumni I meet.

With our world facing countless challenges, the role that the Chevening community plays in building bridges and collaborating across borders to solve big issues is more important than ever.

Chevening’s Head of Programme Management, Louise Thomson, said:

Chevening puts you in control of your experience. You can choose from over 12,000 master’s courses at over 150 different higher education institutions. UK institutions consistently rank highly in global university rankings, so be prepared for an academically challenging and fulfilling experience.

We organise an exclusive programme of events and activities, enabling you to experience Britain’s heritage and history, discuss international policy, and interact with thought leaders at a range of academic, cultural, and social events.

Recently, scholars have visited the UK prime minister’s residence at 10 Downing Street, hiked up Mount Snowdon in Wales, exhibited art in London galleries, interned at the BBC, volunteered with the elderly, debated current affairs at the Cambridge Union, and sat in the home dressing room at Anfield. Some have even visited the locations where scenes from ‘Game of Thrones’ was shot. All this whilst studying on an intense master’s course.

Chevening doesn’t just open doors, it opens your mind. You will learn so much simply by interacting with people from all over the world, travelling around the UK in your spare time, and getting involved in the communities you live in. Those who get the most out of the experience are the ones who put the most into it.

With so much to learn and achieve, a year goes by faster than you can imagine. But your time in the UK is only the beginning of a life-long journey as a part of an international community of changemakers. Our hope is that you will leave the UK inspired, motivated, and better equipped to bring your own ideas to life.’

The call for new applicants follows the selection of one scholar from Greece, who won an award to study at a UK university this year. Successful applicants have been sharing their stories through the #ChosenForChevening hashtag on Twitter and Instagram.

For detailed information on the eligibility criteria and scholarship specifications visit www.chevening.org/scholarships as well as the designated page for Greece www.chevening.org/scholarship/greece/.

The British High Commissioner to Kenya, Nic Hailey, today launched two UK funded programmes that will support persons with disabilities access employment opportunities. The two programmes, the Innovation to Inclusion (i2i) programme and The Inclusion Works! Programme will help break down the barriers that have curtailed access to various opportunities for persons with disabilities.

Innovation to Inclusion (i2i) will ensure women and men with disabilities are actively engaged and retained in meaningful private sector work by developing, testing, validating, and sharing learnings from interventions that aim to directly improve access to waged employment.

The Inclusion Works! programme aims to increase disability inclusion in formal employment, across all sectors. It will work directly with prospective employers to demonstrate ways to include people with disabilities in the workplace on an equal basis with others.

Speaking at the event, British High Commissioner Mr Nic Hailey said: “These new programmes will support more people with disabilities into employment, and will help more employers access a new pool of talent for their business.

Disability inclusion makes economic sense; these programmes will help ensure that the gains from economic development and private sector activity benefit many, and do not leave anyone behind.”

SightSavers Country Director, Elizabeth Oyugi said: “Inclusion Works intends to work in partnership with more than 100 employers across four countries including Kenya. It will test new practices that are compliant with UN disability rights protocols and Kenya’s own Disability Act 2003 that reserves 5% of all private sectors to persons with disabilities. The programme is designed to include people of a wide range of disabilities, including blind-deafness and intellectual disabilities.”

Leonard Cheshire Spokesperson said: “Programmes like i2i are essential in bringing together expertise from a diverse group of contributors, who all offer a unique and insightful perspective on the challenges people with disabilities face all over the world. Equal access to decent employment is an absolute necessity for people with disabilities and it’s important that we work together to develop frameworks that can be implemented in low and middle-income countries in order to affect change and create more inclusive societies.’’

The two programmes were launched in the margins of an event to mark the milestones achieved since last year’s Global Disability Summit. During today’s event, which brought together disability inclusion stakeholders, participants shared information on progress made in implementing commitments from the Summit, and celebrated achievements on disability inclusion.

The Global Disability Summit, which was co-hosted last year by the British and Kenyan Governments, and the International Disability Alliance, sought to address the fact that people with disabilities have been left behind in all development efforts. The summit sought to establish processes and partnerships which will address this inequality and create lasting change for persons with disabilities. As a result, over 170 governments, civil society, private sector and multilateral organisations made global and national commitments on disability inclusion at the Summit.