British PM Theresa May to visit Kenya with top UK business leaders

British Prime Minister Theresa May is set to visit Kenya this week as part of her three-nation Africa tour.

The African trip, which will include stops in South Africa and Nigeria, will make May the first British Prime Minister to visit Sub-Saharan Africa since 2013 and the first to come to Kenya in over 30 years.

“She is set to meet President Uhuru Kenyatta and see British soldiers training troops from Kenya and other African countries in the techniques needed to identify and destroy improvised explosive devices before they go to fight Al-Shabaab in Somalia.” reads a statement from the UK government.

Speaking on the trip, May spoke of the significance of her trip to the country.

“I am proud to be leading this ambitious trip to Africa and to become the first UK Prime Minister in over 30 years to visit Kenya,” she said.

“Africa stands right on the cusp of playing a transformative role in the global economy, and as longstanding partners this trip is a unique opportunity at a unique time for the UK to set out our ambition to work even closer together.”

The Prime Minister will begin her trip in Cape Town, South Africa, where she will see President Cyril Ramaphosa and meet young people and business leaders.

While in South Africa, May will present the Mendi bell to President Ramaphosa in a ceremony at Cape Town’s presidential office.

In Nigeria, she will meet President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja and spend time in Lagos meeting victims of modern slavery.

The visit is set to come at a time of enormous change across Africa with a unique opportunity, as the UK moves towards Brexit, for a truly Global Britain to invest in and work alongside African nations, with mutual benefits.

The Prime Minister’s central message will be focused on a renewed partnership between the UK and Africa, which will seek to maximise shared opportunities and tackle common challenges in a continent that is growing at a rapid pace – from the Sahara to South Africa.

Theresa May will be joined by a business delegation made up of 29 representatives including;

• The London Stock Exchange
• Cardiff-based cooling technology firm Sure Chill
• Solar tech provider Northumbria Energy from North Tyneside
• London-based start-up Farm.ink who have created a knowledge-sharing mobile platform for farmers
• Northern Irish agri-tech leader Devenish Nutrition
• The world-renowned Scotch Whisky Association and Midlands manufacturing giant JCB