By Reginald Chapfunga
UK Trade Envoy for Southern Africa Calvin Bailey has praised Zambia as a model for Africa partnership, highlighting the country’s ambition, resilience, and vision for a prosperous, green, and interconnected Africa. Speaking at the Invest Zambia Conference, Bailey emphasized the UK’s commitment to supporting Zambia’s sustainable industrialisation, regional integration, and inclusive growth.
“We are proud to stand with Zambia as a trusted ally in your journey towards sustainable industrialisation, regional integration, and inclusive growth,” Bailey said. “The UK-Zambia relationship is already a model of what’s possible, and we are deepening our economic collaboration to increase investment and trade, foster innovation, and bolster the resilience of supply chains.”
Bailey highlighted the UK’s Green Growth Compact with Zambia, which has mobilised over £2.5 billion in sustainable private sector investment, driving innovation in clean energy and supporting regional integration. He also announced the launch of a guide to Zambia’s critical and strategic mineral resources, produced by the British Geological Survey in partnership with the Zambian Geological Survey Department.
The UK Trade Envoy also emphasised the importance of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in creating a single market of 1.4 billion people. “To realise its full potential, we must invest in the systems that connect African economies: transport corridors, digital infrastructure, harmonised standards, export promotion, and resilient supply chains,” he said.
Bailey highlighted the UK’s latest trade reforms under the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), which will simplify access to the UK market for African exporters, including Zambia. “These reforms will unlock opportunities for Zambia to take advantage of intra-African trade and boost exports, create jobs, and support economic growth across the continent,” he said.
The UK Trade Envoy concluded by calling for bold, inclusive, and future-facing partnerships between the UK and Zambia. “Let us forge partnerships that are bold, inclusive, and future-facing. Together, we can build a continent that trades more, grows more sustainably, thrives more equitably, and partners ever more productively with the UK, for the benefit of both of our countries.”
