United Kingdom: the resignation of Liz Truss, good news for Africa?

The British Prime Minister left her post after a whirlwind passage. In a month and a half, Liz Truss completely ignored the African continent.

A small turn and then goes away. British Prime Minister Liz Truss has just left 10 Downing Street. “Given the situation, I cannot fulfill the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party”, she indicated in a laconic way, speaking in particular of the very bad reception concerning her economic program. A failure for Liz Truss, concerning the internal affairs of the United Kingdom, but also internationally. Because having only governed for a month and a half, Truss has never managed to shine outside the borders of the United Kingdom.

It must be said that when she arrived at 10 Downing Street, Liz Truss did not really intend to focus on foreign policy. The UK's priority objective was to address the economic challenges ahead. The Conservative Party also had to try to recover, after the chaotic reign of Boris Johnson.

Interviewed by the BBC, a Nigerian political science professor summed up Britain's African policy as follows: "There is no clearly defined African foreign policy that can be identified in British policy at the moment". Africa did not expect, a month and a half ago, to be London's priority. But not to this extent.

Investments and Commonwealth

On October 5, Africa Intelligence wrote that “British Prime Minister Liz Truss is struggling to set up her unit in charge of Africa”. Too busy with the consequences of Brexit or those of the war in Ukraine, Truss had her eyes fixed on Europe, at most. But with his experience — Truss served as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in 2021 and 2022 — it may come as a surprise.

Especially since his predecessor had, in 2020, wanted a United Kingdom-Africa summit. Johnson had called Britain a "preferred investment partner" for Africa. Truss then took up this idea, promising to organize a summit dedicated to investment between her country and the continent, scheduled for April 2023. Inducted Prime Minister, Truss insisted on the importance of continuing to commit to promoting the development of Africa.

There remains, however, an important point that Truss did not have time to address: the extension of the Commonwealth. Several countries, like Gabon and Togo, have decided to join the organization. The next British Prime Minister will have to turn to Africa, more than Liz Truss was able to do, in particular to develop a broader economic partnership.