Dear Members and Friends,
Our friends at the British Foreign Policy Group warned us with their research and analysis outputs that this would be the biggest year ever for elections around the world. And now we have the results of, if not the largest demonstration of popular will, certainly the most momentous. Every Government, and practically every organisation in every country will be reflecting – with (worth remembering) only limited information so far – as to what the election of Donald J Trump as the 47th US President will mean for them in practice. BEI members working in every continent and on big global issues will need to make their own calculations. BFPG are still on the case and will be publishing a series of pieces reflecting on the reaction, implications and lessons over the coming days. I won’t add to that commentary here other than to observe that the popular vote in a democracy – as much this year in India as the US – tells us something that we can’t ignore, whether we like the message or not. At the same time I’m guessing that, when the dust settles (a bit), most of us will this time next year be doing more or less what we’re doing now. We somehow need to be alert to the changes that may be coming, while retaining a sense of proportion – sometimes easier said than done.
With all the attention across the Atlantic this week, it’s interesting to note that Foreign Secretary David Lammy has been visiting Nigeria and South Africa. He announced a consultation to ensure that “African voices inform and sit at the very heart of the UK’s new approach to the continent” which, echoing the Prime Minister’s words at UNGA, will be based on “mutual respect and partnership”. It’s also striking to see in his comments multiple references to the synergies between this major strand of foreign policy and the domestic growth agenda which tops the Government’s missions. We will be preparing a number of events over the coming months focusing on Africa but will also more broadly be looking to bring our members’ experience to bear in helping to shape the understanding of the linkage between foreign policy (in its broadest sense) and growth at home. As always, I’d welcome your thoughts.
We too have had a full agenda this week. A few of us met on Tuesday with Ryan Henson, CEO of the Coalition for Global Prosperity, to share his thoughts on the evolving domestic political context for international development after a few months of the new Government and following the recent Party Conferences. This prompted a wide-ranging discussion of the medium-term prospects for the UK development agenda, not least in the light of the disappointing outcome of the recent Budget. We have plans to engage with FCDO, at both political and official levels, to fill out the picture further, while in the coming days preparing a contribution to the Shafik Review.
Also on Tuesday, we were joined by the CDB team focusing on education and social inclusion, including Kemberley Gittens, Operations Officer - Social Analyst; Claudia Louis, Operations Officer (Education); Christine Mohammed, Operations Officer (Procurement); and Shane Nicholls, Country Director Barbados and Eastern Caribbean at DBT. We explored CDB's work in this area, highlighting upcoming priorities and opportunities for our UK-based membership to work with the CDB. Many thanks to our speakers for their valuable insights and for sharing these opportunities.
On Wednesday, we hosted a webinar with Cynthia Rowe, FCDO Development Director for Nigeria, following up on the session last December with her predecessor Chris Pycroft. Cynthia gave us a helpful update on the current context on the ground as well as insights into FCDO’s development strategy in the country. She focused particularly on programmes covering governance and stability, economic development and energy transition, climate change and nature.
Also on Wednesday, several members of our Water Resilience working group ran a workshop for the Caribbean Development Bank. Following the publication of our recent report, Water Resilience - Unlocking local and global benefits through collaboration, we were delighted to be invited by the CDB to organise a session to talk about some of our members’ experience across the various interlinked strands that contribute to building water resilience. Speakers from AtkinsRéalis, Climate Sense, HR Wallingford, the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and WRc covered an impressive array of topics with case studies to illustrate impact. We discussed climate risk assessment and adaptation planning, innovative software and AI solutions being leveraged to enhance water resilience, approaches to integrated catchment management, as well as the importance of approaching water utilities reform from a strategic perspective. The feedback from the session was so positive that we are now designing another workshop for the CDB to discuss how project finance can effectively support the development of resilient water infrastructure, ensuring sustainable water management and supply.
Sadly, news that this week’s planned tube strike was to be called off came too late for Thursday’s Climate Change Networking Evening, but I’m glad that Andy Blackhall, Managing Director of WRc, has confirmed a new date of 27 February. Meanwhile, the next event in this series will now be on 28 January with Kate Wilson Hargreaves, Director Climate and Environment at DAI and we have also secured Nick Lambert, Founder and Director of NLAI to speak on 20 March. Registration will open for all of these soon, but in the meantime please save the dates in your diary.
I’m afraid that our FCDO Development Director webinar with Alex MacLean from Sierra Leone is also postponed from next week until early next year. More details to follow soon.
Next Week we have two upcoming Market Opportunity Overview Events, first on Tuesday covering Tanzania and on Thursday focusing on Morocco. We are grateful to our speakers who will join us for these events. For Tuesday's event covering Tanzania, our speakers include: Sally Hedley, British Deputy High Commissioner to Tanzania; H.E. Mr. Mbelwa Kairuki, Tanzania High Commissioner to the UK; John Mnali, Director of Investment Promotion at the Tanzania Investment Centre; and Ummy Sadik, Trade Advisor - Infrastructure and Mining at DBT Tanzania. For Thursday's event focusing on Morocco, we will be joined by Tom Hill, Country Director & HM Consul General, and Maria Ismaili, Senior Trade Advisor at DBT Morocco.
Also on Thursday, we will be taking stock of the outcomes of the UN Biodiversity Summit (COP 16) in Cali, Colombia and looking to next steps. Our panel will include: Claire Wansbury, AtkinsRéalis Fellow and Technical Director – Biodiversity at AtkinsRéalis; Tom Butterworth, UKIMEA Nature Lead at Arup; Dr. Nick Isaac, Macroecologist at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology; and Lindsay Banin, Statistical Ecologist at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.
Wherever your focus has been this week, my best wishes for a restful weekend,
David Landsman
Executive Chairman
British Expertise International
Recordings of recent past events:
- 8th October 2024: Working with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
- 23rd October 2024: Argentina - Market Opportunity Overview
- 5th November 2024: Caribbean Development Bank: Education and Social Inclusion
- 6th November 2024: FCDO Development Director - Nigeria
Key events coming up include the following:
- 12th November 2024 09:00 – 10:30 GMT: Tanzania – Market Opportunity Overview -Tanzania offers a range of exciting opportunities to UK organisations in sectors including energy, infrastructure, mining, climate-resilient agriculture and skills development, as well as opportunities in the Blue Economy in Zanzibar. We are delighted to welcome a panel including the UK Deputy High Commissioner to Tanzania alongside the Tanzania High Commissioner to the UK, as well as speakers from the Tanzania Investment Centre and the UK DBT.
- 14th November 2024 10:00 – 11:30 GMT: Morocco – Market Opportunity Overview - Wrapping up an eventful and exciting year in UK-Morocco bilateral trade relations, we are thrilled to welcome back our colleagues from the Department for Business and Trade to share updates on recent UK achievements and future opportunities.
- 14th November 2024 15:00 – 16:30 GMT: COP16 Outcomes - The Sixteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) is taking place in Cali, Colombia between 21st October and 1st November 2024. Our panel will reflect on their experiences at COP16, distil some of their key takeaways, and discuss their hopes for the future.
- 26th November 2024 09:00 – 10:30 GMT: India – Opportunities in Disaster Risk Resilience - Weather related disasters such as extreme heat, droughts and massive flooding are increasing in frequency and intensity in India. Ahead of a DBT trade mission, explore key opportunities in various aspects of Disaster Risk Resilience in the Indian market.
- 26th November 2024 14:00 – 16:00 GMT: Leveraging the Further Education and Skills Agenda in the South East Asia Region - This event will bring together a panel of experts on Education in South East Asia, to discuss leveraging the further education and skills agenda in the region. The panel will explore the importance of TVET and Higher Education in enhancing innovation and economic impact in South East Asia, as well as the role of international education and the wider benefits to local and global communities.
- 27th November 2024 15:00 – 16:15 GMT: AI in Digital Assessment - Join us online for our November Education Working Group which will focus on AI in Digital Assessment, with a panel of members from MetaMetrics, QAA and Rosetta Stone.
- 28th November 2024 09:00 – 10:15 GMT: Working with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Australia - This online event on Working with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Australia will feature a panel of BEI members sharing their experiences of working with DFAT. The panel of existing suppliers to DFAT and former colleagues who worked as part of Australian Aid will share tips and tricks on how to win contracts, how to prepare for funding from DFAT, and the challenges organisations may encounter suppliers.
- 3rd December 2024 09:30 – 10:30 GMT: India Education Deep Dive with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) - Join us for a webinar deep dive into education opportunities in India led by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). The DBT Education team in India will provide us with an overview and insights into the key education sector opportunities available for British businesses, advice on cultural understanding, and tips for navigating the Indian market.
- 5th December 2024 10:00 – 11:30 GMT: COP29 Outcomes - As COP29 approaches in Baku, Azerbaijan, policy makers, investors and the business community are all looking forward to the negotiations’ outcomes. To help BEI members unpack COP29’s outcomes, our speakers will discuss their experiences at COP29, their main takeaways, and their hopes for the future.
- 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.
- Early 2025 - Date TBA: FCDO Development Director: Sierra Leone - Join us as we host Alex MacLean, Development Director in Sierra Leone for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), who will present FCDO’s development strategy, programming and pipeline of opportunities in Sierra Leone. Alex will also be joined by sector directors from the British Embassy in Sierra Leone for the Q&A part of the session.
External Events:
- 12th November 2024: Moroccan-UK Investment Conference at The Cumberland Hotel - This exclusive event offers a valuable platform to explore investment opportunities in Morocco’s thriving agricultural sector. Highlights include an expert-led conference on trends and opportunities in Moroccan agriculture, and B2G meetings with the Agricultural Development Agency (ADA), an essential public institution fostering sector investments.
- 19th November 2024 14:00 – 15:00 GMT: Safeguarding Leads Network - A one-hour session co-hosted by CHS Alliance and the Safeguarding Leads Network, showcasing the Harmonised Reporting Scheme (HRS)—a simple yet powerful platform designed to help businesses easily report on SEAH incidents, comply with donor requirements, and uncover trends in sexual misconduct. Click here to register.
- 25th November 2024 10:45 – 13:00 GST: Sustainable Infrastructure and Energy Mission – Meet the Buyer Event - The UK Government’s Department for Business and Trade, are bringing a trade delegation of approximately 60 UK companies to the UAE from 24-29 November 2024 to participate in a Sustainable Infrastructure and Energy Mission, which will coincide with the Big 5 Global in Dubai and the RAK Energy Summit in Ras Al Khaimah. As part of an in-market activity, there is a Meet the Buyer event to enable the delegation to engage with local UAE companies and present their products and services, many of which will be completely new to the market. For more information, please email Bashira Meah via bashira.meah@businessandtrade.gov.uk.
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