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The United Kingdom has appointed Alastair Long as His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Africa, with a mandate to deepen trade and investment relations between the UK and countries across the continent.
The appointment was announced in a statement signed by Ndidiamaka Eze, Senior Press and Public Affairs Officer and Communications Lead for Growth, Trade and Investment, Nigeria Network, on Monday.
According to the UK Government’s Department for Business and Trade, Long has formally assumed his new role and will lead efforts to strengthen commercial partnerships, promote investment and unlock new business opportunities between the UK and Africa.
The statement noted that stronger trade and investment relations between both regions would create jobs, drive innovation, strengthen industries and support sustainable economic growth.
Long, who is returning to a familiar role and region, previously served as Deputy Trade Commissioner and later HM Trade Commissioner for Africa between 2019 and 2022.
Before his latest appointment, he was His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain, a position he assumed in August 2023.
The new Trade Commissioner joined the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in 2002 and has held several senior diplomatic and trade positions across the Middle East and North Africa.
His previous assignments include Deputy Trade Commissioner for the Middle East and Director of Trade and Investment for Saudi Arabia in Riyadh; Regional Director for Trade for the Middle East, Pakistan and Afghanistan and Deputy Consul General in Dubai; as well as Deputy Ambassador and HM Consul General in Muscat.
Speaking on his new appointment, Long said he was delighted to return to Africa, describing the continent as one with enormous energy, ambition and opportunities.
“I am thrilled to be taking up the position of His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Africa and returning to the continent,” he said.
“Africa is the future and I saw, when deputy and then acting Trade Commissioner, what boundless energy and ambition the continent possesses.”
Long said the UK was committed to supporting growth in both Africa and Britain by responding to African priorities and strengthening mutually beneficial partnerships.
“The UK is committed to being a partner that supports African and British growth by listening to African priorities and bringing the very best the UK has to offer,” he added.
He pledged to engage governments, businesses, investors and other stakeholders across the continent to identify and maximise opportunities for cooperation.
Long succeeds John Humphrey, who served as the UK Trade Commissioner for Africa from June 2022.
Humphrey, while reflecting on his tenure, described his service as a privilege and said Africa remained central to the UK’s global economic outlook.
He expressed confidence that Long would build on existing partnerships and further strengthen trade and investment ties between the UK and Africa.
“It has been a privilege to serve as the UK Trade Commissioner for Africa and to work with partners across the continent to strengthen a relationship grounded in delivery, trust and shared economic ambition,” Humphrey said.
The HM Trade Commissioner for Africa is responsible for leading the UK’s overseas trade and investment agenda across the continent.
The role includes growing trade and investment relationships, improving market access for British companies, including small and medium-sized enterprises, and supporting the development and implementation of trade policy.
The Commissioner also works closely with UK government officials, British ambassadors and the wider diplomatic network to advance the UK’s trade and prosperity objectives across Africa.