Rwanda to participate in UK-Africa summit
Thursday, March 09, 2023
President Kagame with other African leaders at UK-Africa Investiment Summit in January 2020. The next summit will bring together Heads of State and Government from 24 African countries with British and African business leaders.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will host a UK–African Investment Summit in London, which will include representatives from Rwanda and 24 other African nations, the British government has announced.

ALSO READ: Rwanda to pitch at UK-Africa investment summit

The Summit, which is slated to take place in April 2024, intends to promote two-way trade and investment, foster employment and economic growth, and support female entrepreneurs, according to a statement by the UK government.

"The Summit will bring together Heads of State and Government from 24 African countries with British and African business leaders. It will strengthen UK-African partnerships to create jobs and growth, supporting British and African talent in sectors such as finance and technology, and promote women entrepreneurs,” the statement reads in part.

ALSO READ: Africa ready for trade- Kagame

This is the second edition of the summit. Around £6.5 billion in deals and an additional £8.9 billion in investment commitments were made during the first UK-African Investment Conference 2020, which served as a significant turning point in UK’s relationships with African nations.

According to the UK government, during the next two years, faster economic growth is expected across Sub-Saharan Africa than the global average.

Aware of Africa’s enormous potential for future renewable energy sources, the UK is collaborating with African nations to help them mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change as the entire world grapples with this harsh and shared challenge, the statement reads.

ALSO READ: Why 2020 UK-Africa summit commitments should be on agenda in Kigali

"This summit will ensure we are able to harness the potential of our relationships across Africa and grow our economies together, making them stronger, resilient, and innovative,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.

Trade between Rwanda and the United Kingdom improved significantly seeing the trade volume grow by 6 percent to reach more than Rwf41 billion in 2021.

The UK shows great interest in investing in Rwanda, especially in promising fields, especially climate change, given the large potential the country has invested in the latter has invested in the field.