The United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, on Monday, paid a courtesy call on Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the State House in Marina, hours after the British envoy arrived in Nigeria on his first trip to Africa to discuss UK’s new approach to the continent.
Lammy, accompanied by the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Richard Montgomery, and his deputy, Jonny Baxter, said Lagos became his first port of call in his Africa tour, given the centuries-old relationships between the two countries.
The Foreign Secretary said the socio-cultural and economic relationship between the United Kingdom and Nigeria was second to none, pointing out that Lagos had a huge number of families with relatives in London and other parts of the UK.
The mutual dealings, the envoy said, had been further strengthened in business, remittances and finance cooperation.
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Lammy said his visit was to further enhance the bilateral ties between the two countries, creating mutual understanding that would unlock more opportunities for both sides in thriving trade relations.
He said the UK looked forward to a new partnership with Lagos in the expansion of clean energy consumption, which would help the city bolster its adaptation to climate change.
The foreign secretary mulled a potential deal with two UK companies willing to invest in clean and renewable energy in Lagos.
Sanwo-Olu told the visiting British envoy that the new UK’s trade approach aligned with the state’s growth plan, noting that Lagos possessed a huge population of creative and dynamic young people yearning for new opportunities across sectors.
He said the state government had sustained investment in knowledge-based training opportunities for young people to develop their talents and make their skills lucrative in the modern economic order.