UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces new Trade Envoy to Ghana

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has today (Monday, 23 August 2021) appointed 10 Trade Envoys across the world, including the new Trade Envoy to Ghana, Baroness Kate Hoey.

Baroness Hoey has been appointed for her experience supporting global businesses, all of which will help both British and Ghanaian businesses to find new export and investment opportunities. The Baroness will work closely with the UK in Ghana’s Trade Team, as well as attending the twice annual UK-Ghana Business Council alongside senior representatives from the Government of Ghana and the UK’s Minister for Africa.

Director for the UK’s Department for International Trade in Ghana, Lindsey Gilbert-Crouch, welcomed the appointment:

We look forward to working with Baroness Hoey in her new role as Trade Envoy to Ghana. The Baroness brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience which will strengthen and broaden the already mutually prosperous UK-Ghana partnership.

As we look ahead to the coming COP26 held in Glasgow later this year, we know that Baroness Hoey will also be interested in Ghana’s work to create a greener and more sustainable business environment.

Ghana has a vibrant, dynamic business community with strong links to the UK. In 2020, a year of significant business uncertainty, bilateral trade between the UK and Ghana reached just over £1bn and over the last financial year, the UK more than £180m worth of business deals.

The UK’s trade and investment work continues to closely align with Ghana’s beyond aid agenda, supporting development in the country’s infrastructure through roads and water as well as the security sector. The recent trade deal signed between the UK and Ghana not only continues to build on the existing mutually prosperous partnership but also provides Ghana with tariff free access to the UK.

UK International Trade Secretary Liz Truss, said:

Our Trade Envoys play a key role in delivering our ambitious global trade agenda, and I am delighted the Prime Minister has appointed 10 Trade Envoys, who will boost opportunities for businesses in some of the world’s fastest growing markets.

As we seek to boost exports, promote investment, and break down barriers to trade, our Trade Envoys will support us to share in the benefits that a closer trading relationship can offer to our businesses and our communities.

Baroness Hoey has previously served as a Minister of State for the UK government, working first in the UK’s Home Office and the then Department of National Heritage, now the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The Baroness also served as a regional MP for Vauxhall in London for 20 years.

Further information

• to find further information and photographs of Baroness Hoey please use this link
• the UK government already has Trade Envoys in more than 60 countries, building on the UK’s strong relations with key trading countries, and working with the Department for International Trade’s global network
• in 2020/21, Trade Envoys supported over £16 billion of UK exports as part of DIT’s export promotion activity. Exports are central to the government’s ambition to level-up the UK and build back better, with government-led research estimating that exports support 6.5 million jobs across the UK, 74% of which are outside London
• the full list of new appointments is below:
  • Lord Botham appointed to Australia
  • Baroness Hoey appointed to Ghana
  • Stephen Timms MP appointed to Switzerland and Lichtenstein
  • David Mundell MP appointed to New Zealand
  • Mark Eastwood MP appointed to Pakistan
  • Marco Longhi MP appointed to Brazil
  • Conor Burns MP appointed to Canada
  • Lord Walney [John Woodcock] appointed to Tanzania
  • Felicity Buchan MP appointed to Iceland and Norway
  • Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP appointed to Cameroon, in addition to his role as Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Egypt
• you can find the full list of existing Trade Envoys here
• established in 2018, the UKGBC functions as a high-level forum to promote bilateral relations and strategic partnerships between Ghanaian private sector and UK counterparts. Promoting trade and investment for the mutual benefit of each nation and enhancing economic growth
• the UK-Ghana Trade Partnership Agreement provides Ghana with tariff free access to the UK and restores the terms of trade that applied until 31 December 2020. Agreement restores Ghana’s duty free, quota free access to the UK. Providing both nations with greater opportunities to further strengthen the UK-Ghana relationship