Seventh Report - Lagos calling: Nigeria and the Integrated Review

Select Committee
Foreign Affairs Committee HC 202 29 April 2022
Report Status Government responded
Conclusions & Recommendations 21 items (16 recs)
Source View on Parliament website
Government Response (AI assessment · 21 of 21 classified)
Accepted 5
Accepted in Part 11
Acknowledged 3
Rejected 2
Clear

Recommendations

9 results
3 Accepted in Part
Para 8
The UK’s approach in Nigeria should be one that is defined by detailed and coherent...
Recommendation
The UK’s approach in Nigeria should be one that is defined by detailed and coherent long-term engagement. Yet it should be sufficiently agile to take advantage of new opportunities. As the FCDO makes difficult decisions on programme activities over the … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the benefit of a clear, long-term plan but will not publish a new integrated delivery plan within six months. An internal strategy exists until 2023, and they will refresh it post-election and develop One-HMG country plans in due course.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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5 Accepted in Part
The enthusiasm of the Nigerian community in the UK to engage with their country of...
Recommendation
The enthusiasm of the Nigerian community in the UK to engage with their country of origin provides an opportunity for the UK Government to trial initiatives to work with diaspora groups from other countries where there are overlapping interests. We … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government partially agrees with the recommendation and outlines existing engagement with the Nigerian diaspora through media outlets and social media influencers. It argues against diaspora engagement for peacebuilding, claiming resident Nigerians make a more meaningful contribution.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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6 Accepted in Part
Para 17
As an emerging science and technology hub in Africa, Nigeria presents opportunities for the UK...
Recommendation
As an emerging science and technology hub in Africa, Nigeria presents opportunities for the UK Government to make progress toward its priority of securing strategic advantage through science and technology. Investment in businesses and capacity development in the IT sector … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government agrees on the need to engage proactively in the digital and IT sector but states that evidence does not support ODA spending on skills capacity building programmes in that sector. The FCDO will prioritize work on investment facilitation and proportionate regulation instead.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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7 Accepted in Part
Para 22
The UK Government should be more proactive in initiating programmes that build the capacity of...
Recommendation
The UK Government should be more proactive in initiating programmes that build the capacity of the Nigerian IT workforce. Such programmes have the potential to be beneficial to both countries. We recommend the FCDO lead a pilot skills development programme … Read more
Government Response Summary
The FCDO agrees on the need to engage proactively in the digital and IT sector and space, but it believes that evidence does not support ODA spend on narrowly focused skills capacity building programmes in that sector. Their IT sector interventions now seek to foster innovation and create an enabling environment in which innovators can thrive.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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10 Accepted in Part
Para 31
The UK Government, through the merger of DFID and the FCO, aims to use Official...
Recommendation
The UK Government, through the merger of DFID and the FCO, aims to use Official Development Assistance (ODA) more effectively to contribute toward wider foreign policy goals. This aim has been undermined by the cuts to research and Lagos calling: … Read more
Government Response Summary
The FCDO does not plan to publish an ‘integrated delivery plan’ at this time, however, their science and technology approach is, and will continue to be, reflected within internal strategic planning documents. This includes putting significant resources (£30m) into supporting multilevel interventions targeting stakeholders at the micro and macro levels in Nigeria to strengthen the country’s research and technology landscape.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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11 Accepted in Part
The UK-Nigeria Tech hub is an innovative solution that has the potential to benefit UK...
Recommendation
The UK-Nigeria Tech hub is an innovative solution that has the potential to benefit UK and Nigerian businesses through the exposure of entrepreneurs to would-be investors, peer mentoring and training. The lessons learnt here have the potential to be applied … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government recognises the value of the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub but does not commit to ring-fencing funding. The Digital Access Programme will continue supporting and funding the Hub for Financial Year 2022–23, and potentially to March 2025. They will also work with incubators and the Climate Finance Accelerator.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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14 Accepted in Part
Para 40
We welcome the collaboration the Prince of Wales has given to the Great Green Wall...
Recommendation
We welcome the collaboration the Prince of Wales has given to the Great Green Wall initiative through the Sustainable Markets Initiative. The UK Government, however, is not as engaged as it could be in initiatives, such as the Great Green … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government partially agreed, stating it supports regional climate initiatives through multilateral institutions, but believes it can deliver more effective support through bilateral programming and will increase engagement with multilateral initiatives to share lessons learned.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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18 Accepted in Part
Para 48
Investment in, and support for, Nigerian creative arts bring social and economic benefits for Nigerians.
Recommendation
Investment in, and support for, Nigerian creative arts bring social and economic benefits for Nigerians. Investment builds on the UK’s soft power as a champion of the arts, helping maintain its position as a leader in the worldwide music industry. … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government is supportive of efforts to connect artists in the UK and Nigeria, citing the UK Government-supported creatives trade mission to Nigeria. However, they feel enhancing practical co-ordination of existing work would be more effective rather than creating a new creative arts hub.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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19 Accepted in Part
Para 49
We applaud the important work undertaken by the British Council in promoting greater cultural ties...
Recommendation
We applaud the important work undertaken by the British Council in promoting greater cultural ties and building on soft power assets. Similarly, the BBC World Service provides both a voice into, and a voice out of Nigeria, communicating British and … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government does not agree with ring-fencing British Council programming, as the FCDO provides a block grant and the British Council's focus and programmes are aligned to HMG's priorities in Nigeria. The FCDO has agreed to provide £95.84m to the World Service, through the World 2020 programme, for 2022–23.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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2 Conclusion Accepted in Part
Para 6
Awareness of the interconnected nature of Nigeria’s business, governance, security and natural environments is vital at every stage of policy making. The FCDO is well placed to play an oversight role, ensuring UK Government initiatives in one area are not undermined by lack of attention in another.
Government Response Summary
The government agrees that there are benefits to a clear and realistic longer-term plan for our approach in Nigeria but does not agree that they should publish a new integrated delivery plan within the next six months as the result of next year’s election in Nigeria could see changes in priorities and our areas of mutual interest. The FCDO will also run a light touch process to develop One-HMG country plans in due course, including for our activity in Nigeria.
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13 Conclusion Accepted in Part
Para 37
What is needed to support Nigeria in its efforts to reduce CO2 emissions and adapt to its impacts is a package of targeted investment in both tangibles and intangibles which addresses multiple issues simultaneously. Interventions which will bear the most fruit for citizens of Nigeria and the UK will be …
Government Response Summary
The UK supports regional climate initiatives through institutions and bilateral programming. They will increase engagement with the multilateral initiatives working on regional multilateral climate programming to share lessons learned from our bilateral programming, and work closely with Nigeria-only programmes to increase its impact and synergises with our own programming.
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