This Wednesday, 12 November, the Forum on Investment and Trade between the United Kingdom and Francophone West and Central Africa opens in Lomé, the capital of Togo. The aim is to boost commercial exchanges and encourage sustainable investments.
Discussions will address several important topics, including: financing mechanisms, the economic priorities of states present at the forum, and reforms undertaken to enhance the attractiveness of the region’s economies.
600 delegates expected in Togo
Six hundred delegates from across Francophone Africa and the United Kingdom will join these forty-eight hours of dialogue and negotiations aiming to boost trade and business between London and these African capitals.
The event will provide an opportunity for delegates, as well as for public decision-makers, investors, and business leaders from various countries, to explore new business and cooperation opportunities between the United Kingdom and Francophone Africa.
Paris’s exclusive domain
Long considered by London as Paris’s exclusive domain, Francophone Africa has been in the sights of British investors since Brexit, as they seek to diversify their economic partnerships around the world. The Lomé forum has the advantage of bringing together, in one place, almost all Francophone African countries, except for the AES countries — Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
Lomé recognition
For the Togolese government, this important event confirms Lomé’s recognition as a leading regional economic hub. The Togolese administration is intensifying efforts to improve the business climate and attract more foreign investors. The country has assets to showcase, notably its deep-water port and its attractive fiscal reforms, aimed at strengthening win-win partnerships with British investors.
The Togolese government is fully involved in the organisation of this forum, which is an initiative of the British government through the Department for Trade and Business and institutions such as UK Export Finance and DMA Invest.
A preferential market access to Francophone Africa
Around ten African countries will be present at this event, including: Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, Mauritania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Senegal, as well as, of course, British officials.
It should be recalled that this forum is also aligned with the United Kingdom’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), which offers preferential market access to several African nations, including Togo. This is the first time the forum is being held in Africa, but it is in fact the fourth edition of the UK-WCAF. The very first edition was organised in London in October 2022.