Centre for Commonwealth Affairs
Visit to Nigeria
October 7th to October 14th, 2023
As a part of the Centre's research and outreach efforts, CCA Director Sam Bidwell and Advisory Board Member Abimbola Okoya were fortunate enough to travel to Nigeria in October 2023 for a series of roundtable meetings with key Nigerian stakeholders, with a view towards producing a set of tangible policy recommendations for developing the UK-Nigeria relationship. You can find out more about the week's activities below. The trip proved successful in helping to build the Centre's profile in West Africa, and provided a number of informative perspectives on how the Commonwealth can better deliver value for its member states.
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Special thanks to Mr. Philip Hall OBE, Alh. Ahmed Mantey, Ms. Lucy Pearson, Ms. Oluwatoyin Adepoju, Ms. Odiri Erewa-Meggison, Dr. Olawale Anifowose, the Manufacturers' Association of Nigeria Export Group, the British Council, Providus Bank, the Enterprise Development Centre, and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria for helping to facilitate this trip.
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October 7th
Travel to Lagos from London; arrival in Nigeria.
October 8th
Private meetings with associates in-country; preparations for the rest of the programme.
October 9th
09:00: courtesy visit to the British Deputy High Commissioner, Mr. Jonny Baxter.
10:30: roundtable discussion on manufacturing and exports, hosted by the Manufacturers' Association of Nigeria Export Group
14:00: roundtable discussion on creative industries, hosted by the British Council.
October 10th
09:30: roundtable discussion on education, hosted by the British Council.
October 11th
16:00: roundtable discussion on finance and fintech, hosted by Providus Bank.
October 12th
Morning: travel to Abuja
10:30: courtesy visit to the British High Commissioner, Dr. Richard Montgomery.
12:00: site visit to Leventis Foundation headquarters
19:00: stakeholder dinner, hosted by the Leventis Foundation.
October 13th
11:00: roundtable on small and medium enterprises, hosted by the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria
13:30: factory visit to Thistleberry FoodCo, and discussion on enabling export of processed food to the UK
October 14th
Return travel to the UK.
