24 January 2020
The Minister for External Relations, Senator Ian Gorst, held a series of high-level meetings with counterparts from Africa in London this week.
During a 48-hour visit to the capital, Senator Gorst attended a breakfast briefing with Rwandan President H.E. Paul Kagame and held bilateral meetings with the Nigerian Foreign Minister, the Deputy Finance Minister for the Republic of Ghana and the Kenyan Finance Minister.
Senator Gorst said: “The Government of Jersey has invested significantly in developing strong commercial and political ties with partners in Africa, as part of Jersey’s Global Markets Strategy. It is significant that half of financial services business attracted to Jersey now comes from outside Europe, reflecting Jersey’s evolution as a well-regarded centre for facilitating global financial flows.
“I am pleased that Jersey is increasingly seen as a partner of choice in Africa, where we are working together to support the investment needs and long-term economic development of our partners.”
The Minister for External Relations discussed Rwanda’s plans for the hosting the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) meeting, which will take place in June 2020 with a focus on ‘connecting, innovating and transforming’.
The Government of Jersey signed an Addendum to an MoU on cooperation with Rwanda in 2019, which includes support on finance sector development and the hosting of CHOGM. In the latest stage of delivering on the commitments in this MoU, representatives from Rwanda Finance – Rwanda’s newly-established financial services promotional body – visited the Island this week for capacity building and knowledge sharing discussions with Jersey Finance.
Senator Gorst held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria. They discussed a suite of international agreements, including a Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) and an Asset Recovery Agreement between Jersey and Africa’s most populous country.
Senator Gorst also met Hon. Charles Adu Boahen, Ghana’s Deputy Finance Minister, to open discussions on a Bilateral Investment Treaty between Ghana and Jersey in 2020.
In his meeting with Ukur Yattani, Kenya’s Treasury Secretary, the Ministers discussed a range of common interests including cooperation and knowledge-sharing in tackling financial crime, and the negotiation of a DTA and Asset Recovery Agreement.
Senator Gorst added: “These meetings demonstrate Jersey’s success in increasing the Island’s visibility and access to key decision-makers from a region with some of the fastest-growing populations and economies in the world. Working together we can facilitate further business flows with Africa, ensuring that the Island plays its part in the UK’s post-Brexit global trade agenda, and contributing to jobs and growth at home and abroad.”
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