British Foreign Secretary David Lammy seeks to reset relationship with Africa

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy is wrapping up his first trip to Africa, aimed at resetting relations with the 54 continent.

“Our new approach will listen rather than talk, deliver long-term growth rather than short-term solutions, and respectful partnerships that build a freer, safer and more prosperous continent,” he said. The two superpowers on the continent are Nigeria and South Africa.

Lammy's visit follows his appointment as foreign secretary for the Labor government that took office earlier this year.

Relations between African countries and other world powers have changed significantly since Labor was last in power in 2010.

Today, China is the largest trading partner for many African countries, and Russia is making increasing inroads, including providing military support to West African countries fighting jihadists.

Along with Türkiye, the oil-rich Gulf states have also expanded their influence on the continent through business and military deals.

By contrast, UK-Africa relations have been “much less lively”, says Alex Vines, head of the Africa program at London-based think tank Chatham House.

This is particularly the case between the UK and South Africa, the continent's biggest trading partner, and the trip is “an attempt to reboot”, he adds.

“I want to hear what our African partners need and foster relationships so that our friends and partners in the UK and Africa can grow together,” said Lammy.

Britain is not new to the continent. A long and sometimes irregular history underpins many of our relationships with African countries.

Almost all of the continent's former colonies are part of the Commonwealth, but countries with no historical links to Britain have also joined the Commonwealth, including Rwanda, Togo and Gabon. Angola also applied for membership.

“The Commonwealth will continue to be a key platform,” said Professor Nicole Beardsworth of Wits University in South Africa.

As the former colonies gained independence in the middle of the last century, Britain continued to play a sort of “big brother” role.

But this is now changing.

Dr Vines said Africa was not featured heavily in a key document published last year to outline the UK's priorities on the global stage.

“It included name checks for countries like Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya, but not much was written down,” he says.

Dr Vines added that he expected South African-British relations to improve under Labor because of the party's historic ties to the anti-apartheid movement that fought against white minority rule.

“This comes from the anti-apartheid struggle and solidarity provided by the Labor Party and those who were the labor movement for the struggle against apartheid,” he says.

However, Dr Beardsworth points out that former Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May tried to strengthen ties with Africa, but her efforts were “undone” after she resigned in 2019 due to turmoil in her then-ruling party.

The country has since experienced an unprecedented change of prime minister, having to deal with a domestic crisis, Britain's exit from the European Union and the Covid pandemic.

“Africa has fallen off the radar,” Dr Beardsworth said, adding that the controversial deal to send some asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda was an exception.

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