In its recently published 2021 integrated review, the UK reaffirmed its commitments to multilateralism, international cooperation, free and fair trade, development, countering the effects of climate change, global health, and development. Titled ‘Global Britain: The Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy’, the publication also identified Africa as one of the most dynamic regions of the world.

“The creation of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is the springboard for all our international efforts, integrating diplomacy and development to achieve greater impact and address the links between climate change and extreme poverty,” wrote Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his foreword to the review. “The UK will remain a world leader in international development and we will return to our commitment to spend 0.7% of gross national income on development when the fiscal situation allows.”

Britain would be a global champion for free and fair trade, because it was a maritime trading country. It would also seek to reinvigorate the World Trade Organisation. The country would continue to be an international leader in dealing with climate change and health risks and reducing poverty, helping countries to attain the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals, as well as in collective security, conflict resolution and multilateral governance.

For example, the review highlighted the UK’s role in global efforts to counter the Covid-19 pandemic – the country was the largest donor to Gavi (the Vaccine Alliance) and had committed £548-million to the Covax (vaccines global access) initiative. It also reaffirmed Britain’s commitment to girls’ education and the target of getting 40-million more girls in developing countries into formal education by 2025, as well as more generally supporting gender equality worldwide.

Africa was described as the world’s most diverse continent. Britain would reinvigorate its economic engagement with Africa through strengthening and developing mutual partnerships. The UK would partner with the African Union on issues such as biodiversity and climate, good governance and human rights, global health security, free trade, crisis management, and conflict prevention and mediation.

“We will work in partnership with South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia and Ghana in particular to further our shared prosperity goals, our democratic values and our security interests,” stated the review. “South Africa and Nigeria are regional powers with global reach through international fora, with which we share common values and commercial and development interests: together, they account for 46% of [gross domestic product] in sub-Saharan Africa and for 60% of its trade with the UK.”

(UK partnerships and cooperation with Egypt and Morocco fell under the rubric of Middle East and North Africa, another region prioritised in the review. Unsurprisingly, apart from the Euro-Atlantic area, the third priority region for the UK was the Indo-Pacific. The review explicitly stated, as was expected, that British policy would include a “tilt” towards the Indo-Pacific.)

Britain also pledged continued security and stability support for Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and Mali, both through bilateral and multilateral (through the UN) initiatives. Providing security support to Africa, “in particular in East Africa and to important partners in West Africa such as Nigeria” was one of the three international security regions highlighted as being of primary importance to the UK (the others being the Euro-Atlantic region and the Middle East, although the Indo-Pacific would receive “greater emphasis” than previously). The country would improve its defence facilities in Kenya, where the British Army has a training centre (as well as in other countries and territories in Europe, the Middle East and Asia). The UK would continue to provide military support to French counter-terrorist operations in the Sahel.