The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, has said Nigeria remains one of the countries that have benefited the most from Britain’s exit from the European Union, widely known as Brexit.
Montgomery stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja.
He explained that UK-Nigeria trade and investment ties are now being shaped under post-Brexit rules designed to deepen cooperation and deliver mutual economic benefits.
According to him, Brexit has opened the door for more Nigerians to live, work and study in the UK, with the Nigerian diaspora in the country growing from an estimated 300,000 in 2021 to 550,000 in 2025.
“In relation to the Nigeria-UK relationship, Nigeria has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of Brexit in terms of our visa regime, which has allowed more Nigerians to come and live, work and study in the UK.
“In 2021, we estimated there were 300,000 people of Nigerian descent or nationality in the UK. Now that figure has risen to 550,000. The diaspora from Nigeria has increased partly because of the post-Brexit immigration regime. So Nigeria has been a big beneficiary of Brexit,” he said.
The British envoy said the UK’s exit from the EU also meant a major realignment in its economic relationships, creating new opportunities for trade and investment with countries outside Europe.
The envoy noted that trade between Nigeria and the UK has reached record levels, with the value currently standing at £7.9bn (about N16tn).
He attributed the growth to the UK-Nigeria Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership, which he said boosts trade relations by removing non-tariff barriers and encouraging collaboration in priority sectors. He added that the arrangement also aligns with the Developing Countries Trading Scheme, which offers generous trading terms and tariff reductions for Nigerian products.
“I’m really delighted at our most recent trade figures.
The £7.9bn, or N16tn, trade is the highest that it’s ever been between the UK and Nigeria. It’s a very positive trajectory.
“The Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership is exciting because it’s a mutually agreed set of sectors and issues on which the UK and Nigerian governments are going to work. It’s happening under the umbrella of our respective ministers—the Federal Minister of Industry, Investment and Trade, and the UK Business and Trade Minister,” he said.
Montgomery further described ETIP as a framework that identifies, through mutual agreement, areas where the UK has comparative advantage and where Nigeria seeks to unlock new economic opportunities.
While acknowledging that the UK is not competitive in all sectors, he said the country has major strengths in financial services, emerging technologies, fintech, artificial intelligence, and digital platforms.
He also pointed to opportunities in the creative economy, advanced manufacturing, renewable energy solutions, and higher education. The UK, he said, is also supporting Nigeria’s agricultural sector to enhance exports, given its high potential.
“The ETIP identifies these priorities, and we have ways of following up in each sector with businesses and government agencies on both sides to unlock more investment and growth.
“The aim is mutual growth. It is about creating jobs in both our countries. That is why it is really important to understand that ETIP is mutually agreed and negotiated—it is in both our interests,” he added.