London Mayor, Sadiq Khan hosted the first-ever London-Africa Business Summit at City Hall on Wednesday, 3rd of June bringing together 200 business and political leaders from across Africa and the United Kingdom in the most formal expression yet of London’s ambition to position itself as the global city of choice for African companies, capital, and commerce.
The summit was not convened out of charity. Africa currently accounts for just 1.25 per cent of foreign direct investment into London, and the Mayor has identified expanding ties with the continent as central to delivering London’s international trade ambitions and creating thousands of jobs in the years ahead. London needs Africa as much as Africa needs London, and the summit, at its core, is an acknowledgement of that mutual interest.
What the Summit Delivered
The event built on Khan’s landmark trade mission to Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa in July 2025, the first ever undertaken by a London Mayor, during which the summit was first announced. Since that visit, African businesses have invested more than £30 million into London through foreign direct investment.
Total UK-Africa trade reached approximately £52 billion in 2025, with UK exports to Africa increasing to nearly £26.2 billion, reflecting rising demand for British goods and services across African markets. 117 African companies are currently listed on the London Stock Exchange, more than on any other exchange globally, spanning sectors including telecommunications, energy, finance, and technology. Among them are Airtel Africa and Seplat Energy.
The summit convened representatives from the Nigerian Exchange Group, Ghana’s Ministry of Trade for Agribusiness and Industry, Ventures 54, London Africa Network, and SOAS, among others. Deputy Mayor for Business and Growth Howard Dawber framed the gathering plainly: “London is a global gateway for African businesses and investors. Following the Mayor’s historic visit, we are hosting the first ever London-Africa Business Summit, underscoring just how central Africa is to London’s international trade and investment strategy.”
Among the concrete developments announced at the summit, Dangote Cement revealed plans for a secondary listing on the London Stock Exchange, targeting as early as September 2026, while maintaining its primary listing on the Nigerian Exchange. South Africa’s Teybridge Capital expanded its London presence, bringing an estimated £8 million into the capital’s economy and creating more than 30 jobs. In January 2026, South African insurance provider Santam launched a new branch in the City of London through Lloyd’s global platform, creating nearly 40 new jobs.
What Africa Should Take From This
The significance of the London-Africa Business Summit lies not just in what it produced, but in what it signals. A major global financial centre convening its first dedicated summit with Africa, following a mayoral trade mission to Lagos, Accra, and Johannesburg, is a recognition that the continent’s economic trajectory can no longer be treated as a peripheral concern.
For African governments, companies, and investors, the summit represents an opportunity to engage London on equal terms, not as recipients of capital but as partners whose markets, institutions, and companies are increasingly sought after by one of the world’s premier financial centres. The listing of 117 African companies on the London Stock Exchange is not a concession London is making to Africa. It is a commercial reality that benefits both sides.
The terms of that engagement matter. Africa’s experience with external economic partnerships has too often been defined by asymmetric benefit, with capital and expertise flowing in on terms set elsewhere, and the returns flowing back out. The London-Africa Business Summit, if it is to be more than a diplomatic gesture, must produce frameworks that invest in African institutions, build African capacity, and return value to African economies rather than simply extracting it.
London is ready to do business with Africa. Africa should make sure it negotiates accordingly.
Africa Presents is a Pan-African digital magazine and monthly publication covering politics, business, economy, culture, tech, and the stories shaping Africa and its diaspora. Visit africapresents.com and follow @AfricaPresents for daily coverage and monthly themed magazine editions.
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