Policy paper

High-Level Dialogue between the United Kingdom and the African Union Commission, 2023

Published 2 November 2023

On 30 October 2023, the United Kingdom and the African Union Commission held the inaugural UK-AU High-Level Dialogue in London.

The Dialogue opened with a bilateral meeting between African Union Commission Chairperson, HE Moussa Faki Mahamat, and UK Minister for State for Development and Africa, Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP, where the two exchanged on UK engagement with Africa, the UK’s cooperation with the African Union, and the multilateral system, including the African Union’s admission as a permanent member of the G20.

Concurrently, senior roundtable discussions took place between African Union Commissioners HE Bankole Adeoye (Political Affairs, Peace, and Security) and HE Josefa Sacko (Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Development) and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office senior officials, covering peace, security and governance, and climate and agriculture, respectively.

HE Chairperson Faki and the African Union delegation then partook in a high-level discussion with Minister Mitchell and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office senior officials where they discussed a range of issues relating to Africa and beyond, focusing on peace and security, health, and the risks and opportunities related to cyber security and artificial intelligence in advance of the UK-hosted AI Safety Summit.

HE Chairperson Faki also convened a meeting with representatives from African Diplomatic missions in London.

The Dialogue closed with a bilateral meeting between HE Chairperson Faki and UK Deputy Prime Minister, Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP, where the two reflected on the day’s discussions and agreed to work even more closely together on preparations for the UK-African Investment Summit in April next year.

Throughout the Dialogue, Minister Mitchell and the Deputy Prime Minister affirmed the UK’s commitment to strengthening the UK-AU partnership across priorities of mutual importance.

Minister Mitchell also announced further UK funding in support of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and flagship Silencing the Guns campaign:

• £10 million in stipends to support troops in Somalia, bringing the UK’s total commitment to the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS, formerly AMISOM) since 2022 to more than £57 million

• £3 million contribution through the FCDO’s Tackling Deadly Diseases in Africa Programme to support the Africa Centres for Disease Control and World Health Organisation address emergency preparedness and response in Africa

The partnership was cemented with a refreshed MoU for UK-AU cooperation, setting out agreed areas of collaboration over the next few years and pledging to hold biennial high-level dialogues going forward.

HE Moussa Faki Mahamat, African Union Commission Chairperson, said:

The UK has a longstanding historical connection with the African continent and has actively partnered with the African Union in multiple domains, particularly in the realm of peace and security. I’m very glad to have been received in London for these important and successful talks.

The Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP, Minister for Africa, said:

The UK is proud of our partnership with the African Union, and together, we’re committed to a peaceful and prosperous Africa.

I’m delighted that we’ve signed an MoU with the AU, which shows the strength of our relationship.

A bright future for Africa is a brighter future for us all – from peace to climate, health, and trade we’ll continue to work hand in hand with our African partners to build stability and security.