UK Pledges $788Mln in Economic Support for African Countries – Foreign Office
The Union Flag flies at half-mast over the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in central London on April 9, 2021 after the announcement of the death of Britain’s Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will announce the allocation of 650 million pounds ($788 million) by the United Kingdom to the Africa Development Fund (ADF) to strengthen food security and fight climate change in the poorest African countries, the Foreign Office said on Wednesday.Cleverly is on a visit to Kenya and Ethiopia from Wednesday to Thursday. This is his first visit to Sub-Saharan Africa since taking office on September 6.”The UK will contribute 650 million pounds as part of a wider international financing package of $9 billion for the ADF over the next three years, providing high impact and low-cost finance to Africa’s poorest countries. This includes 200 million pounds provided to the ADF’s new Climate Action Window that was announced at COP27,” Cleverly will announce during his visit, the ministry said in a statement.The contribution will help to deliver electricity and improve sanitation for more than 20 million people, as well as create almost 2.5 million jobs, the statement added.The UK and Kenya will also jointly build a green railroad station in Nairobi called Railway City, which was designed by UK architects, the statement noted, adding that London will allocate $97 million for the construction of the station.In addition, the UK’s development finance institution British International Investment will sign a new risk-sharing agreement with the African Guarantee Fund to support the development of a green economy and job creation across Africa, the statement read.