Dear Members and Friends,
This week, I was pleased to comment for “Infrastructure Intelligence” on the positive signals for export contained in the Government’s recently published “Integrated Review”, titled “Global Britain in a Competitive Age”. You can read my comments here.
In line with the review, the Department for International Trade (DIT) this week announced the establishment of four regional hubs to support UK Businesses keen to export successfully. This is another welcome sign, but it needs to be supported by the commitment to ensure businesses anywhere in the UK, in particular SMEs, can access the support they need to enable them to succeed in international markets.
This week also saw a major announcement of the UAE-UK Sovereign Investment Partnership (SIP) which will serve as a coordinated investment framework investment in UK. The fund looks to invest across several tech and innovation-led sectors such as energy transition and infrastructure. Once again, this seems to support the positive mood and tone as we head into Spring.
Yesterday, Thursday 25th March, continuing the theme of poverty relief, we heard from the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) on “Assessing DFID’s Results in Nutrition”. With an amber/green assessment, the review noted that the government had beaten its goal of reaching people in some of the world’s poorest countries with nutrition services — there is great concern that the COVID-19 pandemic is causing a significant rise in malnutrition.
Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, this week we had to postpone our event on the “Leave No One Behind” report published by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI). We will reschedule this event in the near future and advise registrants.
Next week
On Monday 29th March, our Education Working Group will be convening to discuss their plans for an ambitious Spring/Summer programme, continuing to share their excellent paper “Recover Learning, Rebuild Education” with key stakeholders and interested parties globally. You can access a copy of the report here.
On Wednesday 31st March, the InfraCo Africa team will introduce their work in providing funding and expertise needed to develop infrastructure projects in Africa into viable investment opportunities. Join us to hear about their current projects and gain insights on how to navigate the procurement process.
Future Events
As part of our focus on Climate Change and leading up to COP26, we will host a roundtable discussion with Lord Deben, Chairman of the Committee on Climate Change, on Thursday 6th May. The discussion will focus on building resilience and sustainability into businesses as a critical next step in adapting to the impact of climate change.
We are currently finalising the details of our UK Trade Envoys (TE) engagement programme and our annual “Meet the British Ambassadors” series. As mentioned in the last newsletter, please contact Ingrid if you are interested in learning more and participating in the Trade Envoy roundtable series.
As we head towards the Easter break, we are excited about the range and diversity of events that will be taking place through Spring and early Summer. We will be looking to cover key topical issues, and provide enhanced visibility on key opportunities around the world, as well as maintaining open dialogue with the key UK government partners as they prepare to implement the strategy articulated in the Integrated Review. We will share highlights of our Spring/Summer programme in next week’s newsletter.
With Best Wishes
Derrick
Derrick Sanyahumbi
Chief Executive Officer
British Expertise International
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Upcoming Events
Currently all our events are hosted virtually and look forward to exploring hybrid event options as the government eases socialising restrictions. For any event registration support please contact Matthew Gibbons. Click on titles to access full event details. The full calendar of events can be viewed here and recently added event dates are highlighted with an asterisk*.
29th* March — Education Working Group
31st March — InfraCo Africa
13th April — Ghana Deep Dive
15th April — Kazakhstan Deep Dive
19th April — Diversity and Inclusion Working Group
20th April — Azerbaijan Deep Dive
22nd April — Kyrgyzstan Deep Dive
6th May — In Conversation with Lord Deben
9th June — Doing Business in Pakistan
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External News & Events
Our sister organisation, The D Group, published a report this week assessing the detail contained in the Integrated Review and the associated Defence Command Paper through a National Security lens. It includes an overview of the implementation challenges that lie ahead as the UK embarks on a complex multi- year transformation. You can access the report HERE.
29th March — A week ahead of the World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings, President David Malpass in conversation with Minouche Shafik, Director of LSE, will discuss how to tackle the COVID-19 Pandemic of Inequality to Build a Green, Inclusive, & Resilient Recovery. You can watch the event on World Bank Live HERE.
30th March — In collaboration with IADB, the Department for International Trade (DIT) will host a webinar on Procurement with the Inter-American Development Bank about key procurement processes, future strategic sectors and projects.
30th — 31st March — In partnership with PromPeru and Peru Travel, the Department for International Trade London and South East, will host a webinar on Peru Day: Commercial Investment Opportunities.
7th April — The Department for International Trade will host a Virtual Trade Mission aimed at showcasing opportunities within the Sports Sector in Qatar. Please register your interest by 29th March.
13th April — The Department for International Trade is hosting a webinar series on Catch the Train on the latest news from the sector and to further relationships between the European and UK rail markets.
13th — 16th July — The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology will host an interactive online course on Spatial Analysis in QGIS and R — An Introduction for Environmental Scientists.
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