Reframing UK-Africa Relations: Restitution, Security and Trade
- 10 hours ago
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by Tim Murithi, Ph.D., Visiting Scholar, Centre for Pan-African Studies (CPAS), SOAS University of London
The United Kingdom (UK)’s relationship with Africa has evolved from a history of exploitation and colonial domination to an emergent partnership, which needs to be reframed as the post-Second World War (WWII) global order unravels and old certainties fade away.
The UK foreign policy establishment has traditionally framed its posture towards Africa as a zone of extraction and a problem to be solved through a donor–recipient lens, rather than as an autonomous continent with the agency to engage and deliver on common global aspirations and objectives. In the post-Brexit era, and amid the crises triggered by the dismantling of the post-WWII order, the UK needs to forge an alliance with Africa based on reconfiguring its historical relationship with the continent and restructuring the institutions of global governance, as a form of redress and restitution for Africa’s historical exclusion and colonial subjugation. In addition, the UK has an ongoing interest in maintaining international stability through diplomatic and security cooperation with Africa.
The 2025 UK Strategic Defence Review highlighted Africa’s increasing importance to Britain’s contribution to global security, as evidenced by the 2025 London Conference on Sudan and the ongoing partnership in strategic engagement, training, and capacity building. As a Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the UK can also contribute towards framing the modalities for operationalising and implementing UNSC Resolution 2719 on African-led peace support operations. The reframing of the UK–Africa relationship can also accelerate trade collaboration, notably by leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to incubate entrepreneurship, drive innovation, promote digital economies, and foster growth in the renewable energy sector.
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