Chief Uzo Owunne, INGO Africa Ambassadors Interactive Forum – Written evidence (ZAF0019)
15/10/2020
FAO: Baroness Anelay of St Johns, Chair of the International Relations Committee
Dear Lady Anelay,
As organisers of the 7th African Ambassadors Interactive Forum in London in Summer 2019, we are incorporating the feedback from the delegates at the Forum, from a range of African nations and the diaspora in the UK, in our response to the INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND DEFENCE COMMITTEE CALL FOR EVIDENCE. The best ways for the UK to work with the nations of Sub-Saharan Africa is:
- to support trade through UK government funding, investment guarantees and land allocation to examples such as Africa Town in London to provide routes to market (retail and wholesale) that involve Africans and the diaspora in the development and operation of such facilities
- to provide grant and investment support to diaspora entrepreneurs, SMEs and larger businesses to develop innovation and trade with countries in Sub-Saharan Africa especially in more sustainable sectors than extraction
- to ring fence specific support for initiatives led by women and young people
- incentivising, supporting and removing barriers for the diaspora in the UK to make investments in Sub-Saharan Africa
We attach a summary of Africa Town in support of point 1 above. And below we address the the strategic value of Africa Town in relation to the AU's Agenda 2063 (quoting directly from AU documents & policy in blue):
As well as creating opportunities for each African nation from many perspectives, but especially trade, Africa Town chimes with a number of collective objectives expressed through African Union policy, including but not limited to:
- "Agenda 2063 places great import in the role that trade plays in developing economies and recognises that trade is a powerful engine for economic growth and development" - Africa Town will be a great shop window for that trade but also a gateway for African trade in Europe and internationally
- Agenda 2063 "is the strategic framework for delivering on Africa’s goal for inclusive and sustainable development” and “this is important for diversifying Africa’s trade and encouraging a move away from extractive commodities, such as oil and minerals, which have traditionally accounted for most of Africa’s exports, towards a more balanced and sustainable export base” - the wholesale trade that will be established though the international trade shows hosted at Africa Town as well as the retail trade to UK and especially diaspora customers will build sustainability
- Agenda 2063 “is a concrete manifestation of the pan-African drive for unity, self-determination, freedom, progress and collective prosperity pursued under Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance” - Africa Town will complete the African (including diaspora) control of the whole value chain from extraction, production and export to wholesale, suppliers, retail and ultimately to customers
- "encourage the full participation of the African Diaspora as an important part of our continent, in the building of the African Union” - Africa Town will combine African and diaspora businesses, tenants, suppliers, trade partners and customers
- "The AU Diaspora Division’s main task is to serve as a catalyst for rebuilding the global African family in the service of the development and integration agenda of the continent" - Africa Town will perform a very similar role hardwiring links between the diaspora and the continent in terms of trade, partnerships, investment and purchases
- "Small and medium-sized enterprises are key to growth in Africa. They account for around 80 per cent of the region’s businesses. These businesses usually struggle to penetrate more advanced overseas markets” - As well as relationships with economic zones and larger companies, Africa Town will assist SMEs to reach overseas markets including the UK, Europe and other international markets especially with the help of national trade desks
We hope that this will assist your inquiry.
Yours sincerely,
Chief Uzo Owunne
INGO AAIF
Dear Lady Anelay,
As organisers of the 7th African Ambassadors Interactive Forum in London in Summer 2019, we are incorporating the feedback from the delegates at the Forum, from a range of African nations and the diaspora in the UK, in our response to the INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND DEFENCE COMMITTEE CALL FOR EVIDENCE. The best ways for the UK to work with the nations of Sub-Saharan Africa is:
- to support trade through UK government funding, investment guarantees and land allocation to examples such as Africa Town in London to provide routes to market (retail and wholesale) that involve Africans and the diaspora in the development and operation of such facilities
- to provide grant and investment support to diaspora entrepreneurs, SMEs and larger businesses to develop innovation and trade with countries in Sub-Saharan Africa especially in more sustainable sectors than extraction
- to ring fence specific support for initiatives led by women and young people
- incentivising, supporting and removing barriers for the diaspora in the UK to make investments in Sub-Saharan Africa
We attach a summary of Africa Town in support of point 1 above. And below we address the the strategic value of Africa Town in relation to the AU's Agenda 2063 (quoting directly from AU documents & policy in blue):
As well as creating opportunities for each African nation from many perspectives, but especially trade, Africa Town chimes with a number of collective objectives expressed through African Union policy, including but not limited to:
- "Agenda 2063 places great import in the role that trade plays in developing economies and recognises that trade is a powerful engine for economic growth and development" - Africa Town will be a great shop window for that trade but also a gateway for African trade in Europe and internationally
- Agenda 2063 "is the strategic framework for delivering on Africa’s goal for inclusive and sustainable development” and “this is important for diversifying Africa’s trade and encouraging a move away from extractive commodities, such as oil and minerals, which have traditionally accounted for most of Africa’s exports, towards a more balanced and sustainable export base” - the wholesale trade that will be established though the international trade shows hosted at Africa Town as well as the retail trade to UK and especially diaspora customers will build sustainability
- Agenda 2063 “is a concrete manifestation of the pan-African drive for unity, self-determination, freedom, progress and collective prosperity pursued under Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance” - Africa Town will complete the African (including diaspora) control of the whole value chain from extraction, production and export to wholesale, suppliers, retail and ultimately to customers
- "encourage the full participation of the African Diaspora as an important part of our continent, in the building of the African Union” - Africa Town will combine African and diaspora businesses, tenants, suppliers, trade partners and customers
- "The AU Diaspora Division’s main task is to serve as a catalyst for rebuilding the global African family in the service of the development and integration agenda of the continent" - Africa Town will perform a very similar role hardwiring links between the diaspora and the continent in terms of trade, partnerships, investment and purchases
- "Small and medium-sized enterprises are key to growth in Africa. They account for around 80 per cent of the region’s businesses. These businesses usually struggle to penetrate more advanced overseas markets” - As well as relationships with economic zones and larger companies, Africa Town will assist SMEs to reach overseas markets including the UK, Europe and other international markets especially with the help of national trade desks
We hope that this will assist your inquiry.
Yours Sincerely,
INGO AAIF
Africa Town is a bold development to create a shopping centre, food court, hotel & conference centre, cultural venue, business hub and market in the heart of London. There are over two million black or mixed-race Londoners (and those of African descent now form the largest group single group within the black community) and many interested in African culture, which means that Africa Town will have an extremely large audience and catchment to draw from. This is a substantial audience not sufficiently served by African orientated facilities.
Africa Town will act as a global shop window for the continent in the most international city in the world, bringing together retail, fashion, culture, business, people and communities in an exciting new development. It will represent the dynamism of contemporary Africa and change perceptions of the continent and its people. It will give the diaspora and African visitors a renewed confidence and a place to make and express culture and do business, carving out a prominent place in London’s rich urban landscape.
African nations and have traditionally contributed raw materials and goods to the global economy. Africa Town creates an opportunity to extend the growing movement to have control of the production process to the whole supply chain all the way to the retail market. It will feature significant high-quality retail capacity, of course, but also host trade exhibitions and wholesaling to act as a gateway for African and diaspora products to UK and European markets.
Many investors are keen on supporting developments that benefit Africa, but are risk-averse, so Africa Town provides an opportunity that is property backed and yet supports the continent’s supply chains and trade in a significant way. We will develop early relationships with potential tenants and partners from small, medium and large businesses, charities, embassies & high commissions and their trade missions, banks, universities and cultural organisations.
Drawing on some off the best African, diaspora and British architects, Africa Town will be a dynamic, creative environment to shop, eat, meet, socialise and do business. It will be a significant tourist attraction making it an essential destination for any tourists with African heritage and an attractive option for every visitor to London. As well as working with contemporary architects, we would also aim to securely incorporate African art and historic artefacts from London collections (which are not on display) such as from the British Museum (who have 250,000 African pieces) to create a rich sense of place and connection to the dynamism and heritage of the continent.
We will consult African and diaspora and local communities around Africa Town on the look and feel of the development, its functionality, accessibility and the amenities. This will provide deeper qualitative insights on need and to ensure Africa Town is fit for purpose alongside detailed market research that will underpin all the main elements of the site to ensure there is demand and that Africa Town will be sustainable.
Africa Town will generate substantial economic benefits for African trade as well as acting as an economic driver for the African community in London. It will help to improve employment opportunities, economic outlook for individuals and businesses, while contributing to well-being and the positive image of Africa and Africans, including those in the diaspora. “I always think of London as Africa’s extra-territorial additional commercial city” Lord Malloch Brown, former British minister and UN Deputy Secretary General under Kofi Annan.
