Sadiq Khan has announced plans to become the first mayor of London to lead a trade delegation to Africa.
Precise details have yet to be confirmed but an announcement of the countries Mr Khan plans to visit is expected next year.
He made the commitment during a speech to the 15th anniversary awards of the Guba (Grow, Unite, Build Africa) organisation at Marlborough House, the Commonwealth Secretariat’s central London headquarters, last Friday night.
Guba’s founder and president Lady Dentaa Amoateng is a British Ghanaian entrepreneur and actor – which could suggest Mr Khan may visit the west African nation.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and the continent’s economic powerhouse, could also be on the mayor’s agenda.
City Hall said he had pledged to “lead a delegation of London-based businesses to key markets in Africa”, which he hopes will lead to economic growth in the capital and the countries he visits.
Mr Khan has made at least 18 foreign trips since first being elected in 2016, including to India and Pakistan, the USA and Canada, Argentina and mainland Europe. He is also understood to be planning a visit to the Far East next year.
A number of the trips have been linked to his role as chair or co-chair of the C40 group of world cities committed to tackling climate change.
Mr Khan, in a post on social media, said he was “delighted to speak at the 15th anniversary and celebrate the spectacular contributions and achievements of London’s African diaspora communities”.
He added: “I announced my ambition to become the first Mayor of London ever to lead a trade delegation to Africa.”
Really enjoyed being part of the 15th anniversary @GUBAAwards - celebrating the spectacular contributions and achievements of London’s African diaspora communities.
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) November 30, 2024
As part of the event, I announced my ambition to be the first London Mayor to lead a trade delegation to Africa. pic.twitter.com/SMuizpOpsj
Mr Khan said at the event: “If London is to maintain our character and competitive edge, and if we are to be an active player and partner in growing and uniting and building Africa, then we need each other now more than ever.
“The truth is we all stand to gain from forging new connections rooted in respect and reciprocity.
“But we, as a city and as a country, need to do much more to deepen and expand our trading relationship with Africa.”
He added: “Although I may be living a dream in being the mayor, I still have many ambitions.
“One of them is to be the first-ever mayor of London to lead a trade delegation to Africa.
“And while I can’t give details tonight, I can say I’m hopeful we can make an announcement soon, side by side with Guba.”
Lady Dentaa told The Standard that she was “very excited” by Mr Khan’s announcement and said a London mayoral visit to Africa was “long overdue”.
According to official data, in 2023 visitors from Africa represented two per cent of overall visits to London and four per cent of spend in the capital – with over 7,000 African students calling London home.
London was twinned with Accra, Ghana’s capital, in 2018. “These types of trade missions strengthen economic ties and showcase African innovation,” Lady Dentaa said.
“Ghana has the biggest port in west Africa. Sixteen per cent of London’s population is of black people - of African and Caribbean [heritage].
“For me, it’s really exciting that the mayor, for the first time, will go to maybe one or two African countries, to solidify the relationship we already have.
“It will drive growth and it will drive tourism. It’s a breath of fresh air to hear that the mayor wants to go to Africa.”
It is thought the visit may take place in the second half of 2025 or early 2026.
Lady Dentaa said Ghana was “on the list” and suggested Nigeria, The Gambia and Sierra Leone, plus potentially Togo and Zimbabwe, which is seeking to rejoin the Commonwealth.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited Nigeria and South Africa last month.
Lady Dentaa also recommended Kenya for its technology industry. She said Mr Khan, who met the president of Ghana in London in 2018, would be “very much welcomed” in Africa.
She said that the trip was also likely to involve the mayor meeting Ghana’s Ashanti king - requiring him to be dressed in traditional Ghanaian kente cloth.
He would also be invited to taste the local soups and rice dishes.
Guba is a pan-African business and innovation awards that highlights “trailblazers who tirelessly work towards the advancement of the African diaspora and its communities back home”.
The revelation about Mr Khan’s travel plans came as US president Joe Biden touched down in Africa.
Asked about his foreign travel by Neil Garratt, the Tory group leader on the London Assembly, Mr Khan said he had made 16 foreign trips between May 2016 and February this year – of which 11 involved plane travel.
Since the question was answered, Mr Khan attended the Paris Olympics (by Eurostar) and travelled to New York in September – leading to further criticism of his “air miles”.
Mr Khan refuses to apologise for what he regards as legitimate efforts to “bang the drum for London” and attract inward investment and tourism.
Mr Khan, replying to Mr Garratt’s question, said: “The previous mayor [Boris Johnson] made 37 international visits (34 by plane) in total over two terms.
“As part of our commitment to sustainability the Greater London Authority calculates carbon emissions on business travel and pays the offsetting costs annually.”
On Tuesday, Mr Garratt accused Mr Khan of being on a “farewell tour” – many critics doubt he will seek a fourth term as mayor in 2028.
Mr Garratt said: "The mayor continues his global farewell tour of self-promotion by announcing new dates in Africa, while here in London crime is out of control, spiralling costs on business are squeezing pay packets, and we have looming transport chaos.
“While the mayor has stopped standing up for London, dropping all his demands of Government, he has run away from the problem. London deserves better.”
