The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, has revealed that Nigerians account for about 10% of the United Kingdom’s annual visitors, highlighting the strong and growing ties between both nations.
Montgomery made this known on Wednesday in Abuja during a press briefing on UK-Nigeria Economic Growth.
He was joined by the Director General of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), Princess Zahrah Mustafa Audu, and the British Country Director of the Department of Business, Mark Smithson.
According to Montgomery, the UK receives over 37.9 million visitors each year, and Nigeria remains one of the top sources of visitors, partly due to historic ties stemming from Britain’s colonial relationship with Nigeria.
He disclosed that trade volume between the two countries currently stands at £7.2 billion, with Nigeria being the UK’s second-largest trading partner in Africa and its largest export market on the continent.
Montgomery emphasized the importance of the ongoing economic reforms in the UK, noting that they present fresh opportunities for Nigerian investors and entrepreneurs.
“The UK and Nigeria share a dynamic relationship. Our partnership is a cornerstone of broader bilateral ties, driving prosperity, innovation, and collaboration,” he said.
The envoy also revealed that the UK processes approximately 1,500 visa applications daily from Nigeria, but cautioned against the rising cases of visa fraud. In response to concerns over visa denials, he reiterated: “Many people visit the UK. Ten per cent of all who visit the UK are from Nigeria at the moment.”
“It’s a testament to the strength of our relationship. And hundreds of thousands of people are getting visas without a problem. And when people, unfortunately, WhatsApp me early in the morning asking for help with a particular visa case, I have to explain that there are over 1,500 visa applications every working day.
“And the vast majority are approved if they go through the process. So, my respectful response to your question about individuals who have had problems with their visa application, I’m sorry to hear that. And it may, in most cases, be a problem with documentation.
“But we have various categories you can apply to. Standard priority, super priority. We have multiple routes for securing a visa if you have a legitimate business and you have the right process.”
“But please beware of fraudsters out there. And again, we are delighted. We are open for business in the UK.
“We have a very pro-growth government. We’re working with a very reformist government in Nigeria. And we believe that there’s a huge amount of mutual benefit in deepening the collaboration of trade and investment between our two great countries.”
He hailed what the Nigerian government has been doing to attract investors, especially with the introduction of the e-visa:
He said, “I wanted to add to the detail that the constant worry about British businesses who have found previous visa applications, particularly multiple entries, short visits to come and follow up your project, they have found that very unpredictable when coming from different parts of the world. So the e-visa system will be a very big message to investors that you’re going into business.”
Speaking further on deepening trade relations between both countries, the envoy said, “The UK sees Nigeria as an increasingly important country, as an increasingly large future market for UK trade investment, given both the economic reforms and the population growth in Nigeria. And of course, as you know, and I’ve said on many occasions in public, Nigeria for the UK is an anchor country in the region in Africa, playing an increasingly assertive role on the world stage.
“And that’s why in November 2024, last year, our two foreign secretaries, our two foreign ministers, signed a strategic partnership. Now, of course, that strategic partnership includes several things. It includes collaboration on security and defence, on justice and home affairs issues, on foreign policy dialogue, but it also includes a pillar on an enhanced trade and investment partnership.
On insecurity, the envoy said, “And I think there are large parts of Nigeria that investors should be less concerned about security than perhaps the image outside is projected. And I was in Borno, I was in Abia State the last few months.
“I don’t think security is an issue in parts of Nigeria. There are concerns; there have been concerns about kidnapping, commercial kidnapping in parts of the country, and there were various spikes of kidnapping, and it still goes on, and, tragically, everybody is involved. That my driver had his own. So, we recognise that there is a degree of criminality that people need to be aware of.
“And that is an issue that we have been working with the Office of National Security Advice and other agencies on. We’ve been showcasing some of the work that the UK does on getting different agencies to work on these types of traumatic crimes, and have assisted with the setting up of a multi-agency kidnap-fusion cell, which has been helpful in a couple of individual cases recently. More broadly, you mentioned the North East.”
He said his country has been supporting Nigeria to address the issue of insecurity.
He also expressed concern about happenings in the Republic of Niger.
“I think that you all know that the UK has invested heavily over the last 10 years, both in security collaboration, but also in humanitarian and also in development activities, particularly in the Borno-Yobe-Adamawa area. And we have seen progress in the last few years, but we are monitoring carefully the news reports that you’re all providing from recent months. We’re concerned about spillover from Sudan, as I know the Honourable Minister for Foreign Affairs, the use of my tongue, which you’ll love, is, and he has had conversations with my Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, on the Sudan situation and the spillover into Chad.
“We’re very concerned about what’s happening in the Republic of Niger, which is why we have a dialogue with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here about what is happening in the Sahel states, because there are signs of growing activity by extremist groups in the Sahel.
“And we know that Nigeria, as the anchor country, as the regional power, is the country that we have to listen to and support in Nigeria’s efforts to work with neighbours and partners to keep security trends in the right direction. But we – I’m not suggesting any room for complacency here.
“It’s an issue that we constantly monitor, and we have a good relationship with governors in the northeast and with the international community, as well as with the federal government of Nigeria and the relevant agencies.
“What I’d also say is that development in the north is key. We have agricultural projects where we try and pilot working with partners in northern Nigeria to try and create livelihoods for people, because that is a key part of the solution.
“It’s not just about hard security. It’s also about economic security, about opportunities for people, particularly young people.”
Speaking on what the Nigerian government has been doing to ensure an enabling investment environment, Princess Zahrah Mustapha Audu said the ongoing reforms will help businesses streamline challenges.
She said: “It looks, at the moment, I mean, you know, for many, many people who find it very challenging at the moment doing business, but I can assure you that some of these policies will quickly come into effect.
“For instance, the new tax bill. “That immediately will be very impactful because of many of the Constraints. Well, not just constraints, there are multiple lines of taxation at the moment. That will be streamlined. It will make it easier.
“It will be more transparent what businesses need to pay, and they will be able to forecast better, so that’s a quick win. Like we mentioned for importers, exporters, the President is extremely invested in the national single window. We’re also very, extremely invested in making sure that the capacity on the ground, we’re ready for the new technology.”
She also said PEBEC is about to roll out a new technology in the first quarter of next year, which aims to help businesses.
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She added, “So these are quick wins as far as I’m concerned, and I believe that this will translate to savings. Also, like we said, we’re enhancing transparency, ensuring collaboration between our regulators, because sometimes the regulators and the time lapses become an issue for businesses.
“All these things will lead to a reduced and more predictable cost for businesses. So again, I would say a little bit of time is what we need. It’s a work in progress, but it’s positive progress.
“And for me, what is most interesting is that we have the international communities, we have the IMF, we have the World Bank report, and everything is aligned, it’s aligned in the direction that Nigeria is beginning to, our policies are beginning to pay some dividends.
“So I think locally it might take a bit more time, but when you look at the big picture of where we need to go and where we need to be, I think we’re definitely on track as a nation.
The British Country Director, Department for Business on his part listed the growing areas where Nigerians can tap into under the UK’s Developing Countries Trade Scheme (DCTS), urging Nigerian exporters to take advantage of the opportunity to continue to trade tariff free with the UK on over 3,000 products such as cocoa, plantain, olive oil, tomatoes & other vegetables, yam, shrimp & prawns, and cashew nuts.
