Politics
The House | Britain risks reducing its trade diplomacy capacity in Africa at exactly the wrong time
Ernest Ambe
2 min read
As Labour redefines Britain’s place in the world, economic diplomacy must match rhetoric with reach. Nowhere is that test more urgent than in Africa.
Britain is quietly redrawing the map of its global engagement. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is slimming down its overseas footprint, while the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is stepping up with a new “business-first” diplomatic culture and a promise to make economic statecraft central to foreign policy.
It’s the right instinct and one that sits firmly within Labour’s international agenda: rebuilding trust, renewing partnerships, and putting prosperity and fairness at the heart of foreign policy. But instincts need infrastructure. If Britain thins its trade presence without a hard replacement plan, it risks having less capability in the field just as global competition for deals intensifies.
The contraction is significant. Reports suggest DBT’s workforce across Africa could be reduced by up to 70 per cent. That’s precisely where commercial diplomacy, regulatory engagement, and investor aftercare have the greatest multiplier effect. When that presence fades, so does the everyday influence that converts goodwill into growth.
The FCDO’s pivot to economic diplomacy could offset this if it’s properly operationalised. The then Foreign Secretary’s March pledge of a “business-first” culture and a new Geopolitical Impact Unit are welcome. Yet for posts to deliver, Whitehall needs a joined-up playbook: clear division of labour, shared data, measurable outcomes, and empowered local teams. Civil servants abroad must have both the authority and the tools to turn opportunity into investment.
Trade and diplomacy have always been two sides of the same coin. Ambassadors and High Commissioners can open doors; only trade specialists know which ones lead to viable contracts. Labour’s growth mission depends on aligning both the handshake and the follow-through.
For Africa, this is not an abstract debate but a strategic test. The continent’s economic transformation anchored in digital infrastructure, green minerals, logistics, and creative industries is one of the defining stories of the next decade. Britain’s peers are already moving: the EU and US are expanding commercial attaché networks; China, India, and Turkey are embedding trade attachés across regional blocs. The UK cannot afford to shrink its footprint in the very markets shaping future growth.
