Sadiq Khan says his mission to Africa will boost London business

BBC News

4 days ago

Three countries and five cities in six days. London's mayor has certainly put a few miles on the clock in the past week in Africa.Sir Sadiq Khan is the first mayor of the capital to go on a trade mission there - taking in Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa.With him were about 30 businesses and representatives from London and Partners - the capital's so called growth agency that aims to attract investment here.Like previous mayors Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson, who went on similar trade missions, he has faced criticism from opponents for spending time out of London when there's plenty to do here.Also like previous mayors, Sir Sadiq has defended the trip as a way of promoting the capital to emerging markets.So what has he been up to on the whistle-stop tour?
The trip started in Nigeria's biggest city, Lagos - and provided a chance to catch up with a number of firms from the city's growing tech sector. The message from Sir Sadiq was a clear one: partner up with London's tech firms - come and do business with us.Echoes perhaps of the drive during Covid when we were constantly told - "London is open".It was a message he repeated as he moved on to Accra in Ghana. Talking to students there he chose to fire a barbed message to his Labour colleagues in government - criticising proposals that could see universities having to pay a levy on international students' fees.Sir Sadiq talked of "the immense value international students bring to London and the UK" - and warned that "closing our country to global talent would be a pointless act of immense economic self-harm".
The mayor followed that up with the promise of the first business summit between Africa and London - to be held in the capital next year.John Dickie, the CEO of BusinessLDN, welcomed this pledge and backed the mayor's trip to Africa, saying: "London is a melting pot of communities, workers and businesses from across the globe."The mayor is absolutely right to bang the drum for closer ties with key high-growth markets. Boosting trade and investment links with the likes of Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa will benefit Londoners."As the tour started, the Conservative MP and shadow chancellor Mel Stride had suggested that the mayor should be back in London with "his hand on the tiller", addressing issues like shoplifting that affect small businesses.
While BBC London is not on the current mayor's tour of Africa, I have been on similar ventures with Sir Sadiq and his predecessors Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone.What is interesting is the way they are generally greeted - the fact that being mayor of London is seen as a prestigious role - that London is regarded as a genuinely global city.It can often be at odds with how they are viewed by the people in their own city. There have, of course, been mishaps along the way. Livingstone's trip to Venezuela to meet president Hugo Chavez only made it as far as Cuba. And when he was mayor Johnson had to cancel a planned visit to the West Bank after fears of protests.Despite that, the visits will continue whoever is mayor - as will the rows over whether such trade missions bring real value to London.