Opinion: The case for UK development investment in Commonwealth Africa

The United Kingdom government’s white paper on international development released late last year lacks a clear investment strategy. A focus on African members of the Commonwealth would have the greatest return and impact on investment.

The November 2023 white paper makes great strides in providing clarity on the constants that have guided the U.K.’s approach to international development and highlighting the country’s unique role as the largest equity investor in private sector enterprises and projects in Africa.

Yet the fact that it stops short of unveiling a specific investment strategy is a missed opportunity given Parliament’s clear signal that it would welcome a fuller articulation of a “British Investment Partnerships strategy.”