Select committee: Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 3
Seventh Report - Lagos calling: Nigeria and the Integrated Review
Published 29 Apr 2022
Paragraph 8
Addressed to Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Foreign Affairs Committee Implementing the Integrated Review in Nigeria All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The UK’s approach in Nigeria should be one that is defined by detailed and coherent long-term engagement. Yet it should be sufficiently agile to take advantage of new opportunities. As the FCDO makes difficult decisions on programme activities over the coming years, particularly those funded through Official Development Assistance, careful attention should be paid to ensuring the High Commission is able to be proactive and responsive rather than simply reactive. It is vital that UK partners and scrutiny bodies understand the aims and strategy of the UK in Nigeria in order to carry out their work as effectively as possible: In the next six months we recommend that the FCDO develop and publish an integrated delivery plan for Nigeria detailing how the aspirations of the Integrated Review will be executed in Nigeria. There should be realistic and measurable objectives for UK policy in Nigeria over the next five to ten years with clear activities and policies, and the plan should set out the resources required and which Government departments will be responsible for delivering them.
From: Foreign Affairs Committee, Seventh Report - Lagos calling: Nigeria and the Integrated Review (HC 202), paragraph 8, 29 April 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 13 July 2022 (deadline 29 June 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government partially agrees with the Committee's recommendation on a Nigeria delivery plan, stating that it does "not agree that we should publish a new integrated delivery plan within the next six months".
- The Government says an internal cross-government strategy already runs to 2023 and that it "will therefore look to refresh" it after the election, and will run a "light touch process" to develop One-HMG country plans "in due course".
- On the Benin Bronzes and colonial legacy it agrees with the recommendation, noting that museums operate independently of Government and decisions on collections are taken by each institution's trustees.
- It does not agree to quotas for the Nigerian civil service in skills programming, and does not agree to ring-fence support to human rights projects or British Council programming.
- It will continue funding the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub for 2022-23, and "potentially" to March 2025, "subject to final ODA allocations".