Dear Members and Friends,
First of all, warmest New Year wishes to our members and friends from all of us at Grafton Street. I hope that you managed a good break over the holidays, of course deserved and equally needed in view of what lies ahead. If last year wasn’t enough (you can see a summary in BFPG’s 2024 Foreign Policy in Review), already it’s clear that we will this year face more challenges at home and abroad (see here for BFPG’s calendar). Foreign Secretary David Lammy has set out his thinking on the UK’s approach this week in his Locarno Speech here. With challenges, there are of course also opportunities and it’s our main job at BEI to help our members get ahead of them.
Recent conversations with members suggest that there are many new opportunities in both infrastructure and education/skills, where our contacts in fast-growing markets – remain as keen as ever on British input. In the international development space, we are tracking the likely changes of emphasis – and the budget constraints - in both the UK and US programmes. Opportunities, as well as doubtless some threats, here too. As far as the UK is concerned, we await the Shafik review and the next stages of the wider process with interest, but are in the meantime keen to explore with members on how we can work together to ensure that your experience and expertise helps shape the way forward. In parallel, we remain focused on helping our members achieve their fair share of business with other bilateral donors and the MDBs.
I’m increasingly struck that our wider networks – spanning our sister organisations D Group and BFPG too – throw up interesting synergies where you least expect them. For example, space-related technologies developed by D Group members for defence are being applied to climate and other resilience challenges. There’s more scope to join up our members’ expertise in education and skills around the world with the UK Government’s new initiatives to upskill Britain. Equally, BFPG’s work on public support for the UK’s foreign policy posture plays back into efforts to protect the international development agenda. We will look to leverage these synergies more in the coming year, both through focused events and individual introductions where we can.
Our 2025 programme kicks off next week with a virtual vent on Thursday 16 January on AI and innovation in International Development led by Bjorn Christianson, Director of Business Development at UCL Consultants and Louise James, Managing Director at Accenture Development Partnerships.
In the following week, we will be organising a number of events for our education members around the BETT UK Conference. First, on Tuesday 21 January, we will welcome colleagues from DBT’s Pan-Africa team who will lead two panel discussions, one on opportunities in Francophone Africa and the other on Anglophone countries. These sessions will highlight key opportunities for UK education providers and feature contributions from delegates representing ministries and edtech organisations from Morocco, Egypt, Senegal, Mauritius, Nigeria, and Tunisia.
On Wednesday 22 January will be delighted once again to be able to host H.E. Sayasat Nurbek, Minister of Higher Education and Science of Kazakhstan, for an evening reception. He will be joined by H.E. Magzhan Ilyassov, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the United Kingdom and H.E. Kathy Leach, British Ambassador to Kazakhstan, representatives from Kazakh higher education institutions, private investors exploring opportunities in education infrastructure, and the Kazakh Architecture Bureau. If you are interested to attend please do not hesitate to contact Luisa.
Also in the week of 20 January, we have an event in our (virtual) FCDO Development Director series focusing on Tanzania with Kemi Williams as guest speaker and an in-person panel discussion on Harnessing MEL for evidence-based policies and programmes in Climate and Nature with speakers from members Integrity and Cadmus as well as from DEFRA. More details on the website and in next week’s newsletter.
Those with an interest in UK public procurement will already been more than aware of the imminent entry into force of the new Procurement Act. Government is running a number of webinars for suppliers. In particular, you may wish to consider registering for one of the two to be organised by the Government Commercial Function on Transforming Public Procurement. These are on Thursday 23rd Jan, 10:30am to 11:30am (GMT) and Friday 24th Jan, 11:00am to 12:00pm (GMT).
Finally, I’m sure that for many of our members development of your teams will be among your New Year priorities. If you have colleagues destined for senior leadership roles, why not find out more about our Future Leaders Group programme? We are now recruiting for our September 2025 cohort. You can come and talk to alumni, sponsors, and faculty members on Monday 3rd February The FLG Winter Reception at Grafton Street on Monday 3 February (18:30-20:30) is a great opportunity to meet alumni, sponsors and faculty members. Please register with Jennifer Fraser jennifer@beroudconsulting.com if you would like to attend. You can also find out more about the course on the FLG Website or LinkedIn page.
David Landsman
Executive Chairman
British Expertise International
Recordings of recent past events:
- 3rd December 2024: India Education Deep Dive with the Department for Business and Trade
- 5th December 2024: COP29 Outcomes
- 11th December 2024: Opportunities to Partner With Leading EPC Contractors Working in Africa
- 11th December 2024: The EBRD Ukraine Project Preparation Facility
Key events coming up include the following:
- 16th January 2025 09:30 – 11:00 GMT: AI and Innovation in International Development - Join us for a webinar discussion on AI and Innovation in ID, with speakers from Accenture Development Partnerships and UCL Consultants. The panel will offer insights into the potential and risks of Gen AI in a development context, as well as the role of Research and Development (R&D) in ensuring innovation in this space.
- 16th January 2025 12:00 – 13:00 GMT: Water Resilience Working Group - The UK has a distinctive offer and world-leading expertise in sustainable and climate-resilient water services. This group, in partnership with the UK government, IFIs and other key stakeholders, aims to define that offer and leverage it to increase exports.
- 21st January 2025 09:00 – 10:00 GMT: FCDO Development Director: Tanzania - Join us as we host Kemi Williams, Development Director in Tanzania for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), who will present FCDO’s development strategy, programming and pipeline of opportunities in Tanzania.
- 21st January 2025 10:30 – 13:30 GMT: Harnessing Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning for evidence-based policies and programmes in Climate and Nature - Grounding climate and nature policy making in knowledge obtained through monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) is more crucial than ever. To explore how this is being done in practice, we will hear from two BEI members who are instrumental in enhancing the monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) aspects of FCDO’s and Defra’s programmes.
- 28th January 2025 16:00 – 19:00 GMT: Climate Change Networking Evening - Join us for an evening of thought-provoking conversation, potential new partnerships and the chance to meet with members of our Climate Change Working Group. Our keynote speaker this time is Kate Hargreaves, DAI’s new Director for Climate and Environment. Kate’s work reflects a holistic approach to tackling the climate crisis, combining technological innovation, financial strategy, community involvement, and social equity.
- 4th February 2025 11:00 – 12:30 GMT: Working with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) - IFC is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector. IFC provides equity investments, loans, and advisory support to businesses and projects that can drive growth and innovation in emerging markets. This hybrid event will serve as an introduction to working with the IFC. The session is designed for both new and established partners, offering an annual update on key developments and opportunities.
- 5th February 2025 09:00 – 10:30 GMT: Philippines - Market Opportunity Overview - With a young workforce and ongoing reforms, the Philippines offer abundant opportunities for UK organisations across infrastructure, energy, and technology. The DBT Manila team alongside the regional UKEF representative will bring insights on the latest developments in the UK-Philippines bilateral relationship, and some of the key business opportunities.
- 20th February 2025 10:00 – 11:30 GMT: Unlocking Potential: Expanding Affordable Housing Solutions in Africa - BEI members Altair alongside their partners Shelter Afrique, the pan African housing finance development bank, and the Nigeria-based multi-disciplinary property services company, Modern Shelter are delighted to invite you to join a free webinar exploring affordable housing solutions in Africa.
- 25th February 2025 14:00 – 15:30 GMT: Education Working Group: Driving Operational Effectiveness in International Schools - Join us for our February Education Working Group on Driving Operational Effectiveness in International Schools, with speakers from EDT, Ardingly College, Etio and DBT. The online panel will identify and explore key factors that contribute to operational effectiveness in International Schools and how to best ensure the delivery of quality education.
- 27th February 2025 16:00 – 19:00 GMT: Climate Change Networking Evening - Join us for an evening of thought-provoking conversation, potential new partnerships and the chance to meet with members of our Climate Change Working Group. Our keynote speaker this time is Andy Blackhall, Managing Director of WRc. Andy will reflect on his career and his hopes for the future.
External Events:
- 25th & 26th February 2025:World Water Tech Innovation Summit - The World Water-Tech Innovation Summit is the premier networking event for water leaders, investors and innovators to share and showcase best practice in delivering climate-resilient, energy-efficient water systems. The summit returns to London on February 25-26, 2025, bringing together forward-thinking water utilities, regulators, engineering firms, investors and start-ups from around the world for two days of pivotal discussions, partnership building, and innovation discovery.
- 11th & 12th March 2025: 4th UN International Procurement Seminar with the United Nations at the UN City, Copenhagen. This two-day seminar will include panel discussions, presentations from the UN Agencies and inform suppliers about procurement needs, procedures and how to do business with the UN. There is also a unique opportunity to request 1-2-1 meetings with the 10 participating Agencies & 2 Development Banks.
- 7th & 8th May 2025: Global Leakage Summit - The premier event for the international leakage community to listen, learn, and build relationships, tackling the toughest challenges together. Join presenters and panelists from leading UK and international water companies, and explore the latest technologies, data innovations, and software solutions from our exhibitors. In the face of climate change and record-high global investment in leakage management, this two-day conference promises a world-class knowledge-sharing program and invaluable networking opportunities.
- 3rd - 5th September 2025, KazBuild 2025, Kazakhstan: Stand booking is now open for international exhibitors at KazBuild exhibition in Kazakhstan - the largest international building and interiors exhibition in Kazakhstan, annually welcoming over 7,000 specialist trade visitors to the show. KazBuild will be held 3-5 September 2025 in Almaty, the biggest city of Kazakhstan. Held since 1994, the exhibition showcases the latest products, services, technologies, and projects available on the market, and provides a key platform for governmental and building industry professionals to exchange experiences, establish cooperation and share the latest industry developments. Please contact Mrs. Tatyana Borodikhina by email: tatyana.borodikhina@exhibitions-conferences.com to learn more about how KazBuild can help to establish your business in Kazakhstan.
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