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The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 September 2024.

Mobilisation of climate finance set to be boosted across East Africa through new UK-backed company as investors put pen to paper to begin operations.

• Investors back Dhamana Guarantee Company’s work to transform East Africa’s financial landscape.
• Tackling climate change given another boost in Kenya as, for second time in a week, a UK-Government backed investor in green finance solutions puts pen to paper.

Monday 30 September 2024 – Dhamana Guarantee Company Ltd (Dhamana) has reached a major milestone, marked at an event in Nairobi today.

Investors in the new company put pen to paper at a signing ceremony, which will allow the company to kick-start operations.

Dhamana aims to mobilise private sector finance to support the development of sustainable businesses. It will do so by issuing guarantees to commercially viable projects, businesses, and institutions that tackle the climate crisis and make progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The design and creation of the company was supported by the UK-Government backed investor the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) through InfraCo Africa. With its anchor investment, PIDG kick-started Dhamana, attracting further equity investment from the African Development Bank (AfDB) and CPF Group, with support provided by Cardano Development and FSD Africa.

Dhamana is a new limited liability company based in Kenya with a mandate to deliver for the East African region – including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda. It will provide credit guarantees on debt capital market instruments, to boost the credit rating of such instruments and crowd in investment from pension funds, insurance companies and sovereign wealth funds to support sustainable infrastructure and business development in East Africa.

Dhamana will target businesses that add value to people’s lives, improving the day-to-day life of Kenyans and of people across the region. The increase in affordable finance for Kenyan businesses will mean projects will require less capital to get off the ground, make money, and generate growth. Dhamana will also enable investors to diversify their portfolios, acting as a catalyst to transform East Africa’s financing landscape.

This is the second time in a week that an investor in climate solutions backed by the UK Government has achieved a milestone. Last week, MOBILIST signed a partnership with the Nairobi Securities Exchange which aims to drive the listing of new investment products in the Kenyan market and increase the amount of private sector capital available for development and climate projects in Kenya and drive growth.

Dhamana CEO, Christopher Olobo, said:

With the support of our investors and supporters, we have worked to develop Dhamana as an important catalyst for long-term sustainable finance in the region. Dhamana’s local currency guarantees will connect pools of untapped capital with East Africa’s real economy, making a tangible difference to people’s lives and offering local investors the opportunity to invest in Paris-aligned initiatives.

Deputy High Commissioner and Development Director, British High Commission Nairobi, Leigh Stubblefield, said:

For the second time in a week I am proud to say that the UK has supported a climate finance solution in Kenya – an example of our long-term commitment to long-term investment and growth. This is a great pan-Africa partnership that will improve the lives of East Africans for the better, and as the saying goes, we go far when we go together.

Representing PIDG, InfraCo Africa CEO, Gilles Vaes, added:

Building on the success of other PIDG-supported credit enhancement facilities in Nigeria and Pakistan, Dhamana will demonstrate the value of such a facility in the East African market, opening up opportunities for investors and clients alike. Crucially, Dhamana will engage new partners and investors in our efforts to urgently address the climate crisis and accelerate delivery of the UN sustainable development goals.

In his remarks at the launch event, Solomon Quaynor, African Development Bank Vice President for Private Sector, Infrastructure & Industrialisation, said:

The African Development Bank’s equity investment in Dhamana reinforces the catalytic role and potential of credit enhancement companies in leveraging opportunities for infrastructure financing in local currency and supporting debt capital markets deepening in our regional member countries. We intend to replicate this business model in appropriate markets across Africa with partners such as the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) and others. The first example of this type of credit enhancement company was InfraCredit in Nigeria which has had demonstrated success, and now Dhamana in East Africa. The investment in Dhamana aligns with the Bank’s priority to mobilise financing through innovative vehicles from African institutional funds including pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and insurance companies for infrastructure development in Africa.

On his part, Dr. Hosea Kili, OGW – CPF Group Managing Director/CEO – said:

We are proud to be part of this transformative initiative through Dhamana Guarantee Company. We believe in the power of innovative financial solutions to drive sustainable growth. By leveraging local currency guarantees, Dhamana will unlock critical capital for critical infrastructure projects, advancing economic development. This partnership aligns with our commitment to investing in initiatives that improve the lives of people’s lives and our economy while contributing to a more sustainable future.

Joost Zuidberg, CEO of Cardano Development concluded:

Dhamana’s true strength lies in its capacity to attract significant investments from East Africa’s institutional capital, laying a strong foundation for future scaling up according to its sizeable potential and thus meaningfully contribute to sustained economic growth in the region. Part of our core work is to incubate guarantee solutions for emerging and frontier markets, and we are thrilled to formalise this partnership today, as we collectively provide Dhamana with the crucial support and capital needed to fulfil this vital objective.

Notes to Editors

The UK-Kenya Strategic Partnership

The UK-Kenya strategic partnership joint statement can be found here.

About Dhamana

Dhamana Guarantee Company (Dhamana): Dhamana is working to catalyse the development of domestic capital markets in East Africa. It does this by connecting significant under-utilised sources of domestic institutional capital with the real economy, such as new green infrastructure, and providers of credit to  businesses. This increases access and the affordability of local capital, providing new low-risk opportunities for local investors. Dhamana will also serve to provide a portfolio of businesses with access to the local currency capital needed to deliver bankable projects, meeting the high demand for new affordable housing, transportation, water, and energy infrastructure, and promoting long term economic development. www.dhamana.com

About PIDG

The Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) is an innovative infrastructure project developer and investor which mobilises private investment in sustainable and inclusive infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa and south and south-east Asia. PIDG investments promote socio-economic development within a just transition to net zero emissions, combat poverty and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). PIDG delivers its ambition in line with its values of pioneering, partnership, safety, inclusivity, and urgency. PIDG offers Technical Assistance for upstream, early-stage activities and concessional capital; its project development arm – which includes InfraCo Africa and InfraCo Asia – invests in early-stage project development and project and corporate equity. PIDG credit solutions include EAIF (the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund), one of the first and more successful blended debt funds in low-income markets; GuarantCo, its guarantee arm that provides credit enhancement and local currency solutions to de-risk projects; and a growing portfolio of local credit enhancement facilities, which unlocks domestic institutional capital for infrastructure financing. Since 2002, PIDG has supported 233 infrastructure projects to financial close, which provided an estimated 228 million people with access to new or improved infrastructure. PIDG is funded by the governments of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, Sweden, Global Affairs Canada, Germany, and the IFC. www.pidg.org

About the African Development Bank (AfDB)

The African Development Bank (AfDB) is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 34 African countries with an external office in Japan, the AfDB contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. www.afdb.org

About the CPF Group

The CPF Group offers a comprehensive range of services through its various subsidiaries including  CPF Financial Services which administers both private and public pension funds; notably – the Public Service Superannuation Scheme (PSSS); The Local Authorities Pensions Trust (LAPTRUST); the Taifa Pension Fund; the County Pension Fund and CPF Individual Pension Plan. The funds under our administration have a total membership of just over 500,000 members.

Other subsidiaries include Laser Infrastructure & Technology Solutions (LITES); Laser Property Services; Rukisha Advances payment platform; CPF Asset Managers; CPF Capital & Advisory; and Laser Insurance Brokers (LIB).  The Group offers a wide range of services in ICT & renewable energy solutions, Property Services, Insurance Brokerage, Smart Money platform, fund management, Transaction Advisory, Trust fund services, training & consultancy, and Corporate Trustee Services. Derived from uncompromised commitment to fulfilling lives, the CPF Group prioritises new models and approaches in engineering turnkey solutions for clients across the region. www.cpfgroup.or.ke

About Cardano Development

Cardano Development (CD), established in 2007, incubates new companies, and creates and manages fund managers. Through careful risk-management analysis in data poor settings, CD identifies scalable solutions that can help to make frontier financial markets more inclusive, investible, and sustainable to unlock lasting economic value. CD creates scalable solutions for currency, credit, and liquidity risks in these markets. With over USD 6 billion assets and USD 3.1 billion capital under management, CD supports scale-up ventures (TCX, GuarantCo, Frontclear, BIX Capital, ILX Fund, AGRI3 Fund), and a number of new start-ups, with ongoing management support services and corporate governance oversight. www.cardanodevelopment.com.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 September 2024.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy announces that the UK has chartered a flight to help British citizens seeking to leave Lebanon.

• the UK has chartered a flight to help meet any additional demand British nationals and their dependants wanting to leave Lebanon
• the flight is scheduled to leave Beirut on Wednesday 2 October. Any further flights in the coming days will depend on demand and the security situation on the ground
• vulnerable British nationals will be prioritised for this flight

The UK government has chartered a commercial flight out of Lebanon to help British nationals wanting to leave following escalating violence in the region, the Foreign Secretary announced on Monday (30 September).

British nationals and their spouse or partner, and children under the age of 18 are eligible. All passengers must hold a valid travel document. Dependants who are not British nationals will require valid visas/permission to enter or remain that was granted for more than 6 months.

The government has worked with partners in recent weeks to increase capacity on commercial flights to enable British nationals to leave, and has now chartered a flight to provide additional capacity.

The flight is due to leave Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport on Wednesday (2 October). Those who have registered their presence with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) will be sent details on how to request a seat.

If you’re a British national in Lebanon and have not already registered your presence there, you should do so immediately.

Vulnerable British nationals and their spouse or partner, and children under the age of 18, will be prioritised for this flight. This includes those with greatest need, including those with medical conditions, over-65s and children. British nationals should not make their way to the airport unless they have a confirmed seat on the plane.

Any non-British dependants boarding the flight will require a visa, granted for at least 6 months, to enter the UK, in line with usual immigration rules and entry process.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:

The situation in Lebanon is volatile and has potential to deteriorate quickly.

The safety of British nationals in Lebanon continues to be our utmost priority.

That’s why the UK government is chartering a flight to help those wanting to leave. It is vital that you leave now as further evacuation may not be guaranteed.

UK government officials have been working non-stop in London, Beirut and the wider region to provide support to British nationals to continue contingency planning for a range of scenarios in the region.  An FCDO Rapid Deployment Team has also arrived in Lebanon to bolster the support offered by British Embassy officials.

The safety of British nationals in Lebanon, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) continues to be the UK government’s utmost priority and the FCDO urges everyone to continue to follow the relevant travel advice, exercise caution, and monitor media in Lebanon for developments.

The UK has been calling for a ceasefire between Lebanese Hizballah and Israel for over a week and that further escalation must be avoided. A ceasefire would provide the space necessary to find a political solution in line with Resolution 1701.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 September 2024.

Address by Minister for the Middle East in Washington DC to mark the 10th anniversary of the Global Coalition against Daesh.

• Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer will address the Global Coalition against Daesh meeting hosted by Secretary of State Antony Blinken
• the meeting in Washington DC comes after a US-Iraqi joint announcement on the transition of the Coalition military mission into a new security arrangement under Iraqi leadership
• the minister will meet with a number of Global Coalition countries, including the US and Iraq, to discuss the importance of supporting Iraq in defeating Daesh

To mark the 10th anniversary of the Global Coalition against Daesh, the Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer is in Washington DC today to attend its annual ministerial-level meeting.

At the meeting he will reflect on the huge progress achieved by the Coalition towards eradicating Daesh in Iraq and Syria over the past decade and look ahead to further government support.

Recent UK action has included support of the Iraqi Security Forces to prevent the resurgence of Daesh networks, funding stabilisation in communities formerly occupied by Daesh, and working to discredit its propaganda in multiple languages through the Counter-Daesh Communications Cell.

The global meeting will see ministers and representatives from the 87 partners of the Global Coalition gather to discuss the continuing threat from Daesh and to commemorate efforts to counter Daesh and stabilise liberated areas in Iraq and Syria.

The meeting comes shortly after the announcement that the Coalition’s military operation in Iraq will transition into a range of new security arrangements. The UK and the Global Coalition forces have helped Iraq to prevent the resurgence of Daesh.

Since 2014, the UK has trained over 120,000 security forces through Operation SHADER and contributed over £500 million in humanitarian and stabilisation assistance to affected communities and internally displaced persons in Iraq and Syria.

In response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria, the UK has provided over £4.3 billion in aid to support millions of people in Syria and across the region by improving humanitarian conditions for those in dire need and supporting early recovery and resilience, such as through agricultural and livelihoods opportunities.

Hamish Falconer will reaffirm the UK’s commitment to tackle the continuing threat posed by Daesh and to help people and communities affected by their appalling activities rebuild their lives.

Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer said:

In the decade since the UK helped form the Coalition we have made enormous progress together, including defeating Daesh territorially. However, Daesh is a threat that continues to destroy lives, in the Middle East and beyond. We now renew our commitment promoting security and stability in areas targeted by the terrorists, and to ensuring they can never resurge.

I am proud of the UK’s continuing role in the Coalition, from supporting security partners in Iraq and Syria, to rebuilding communities affected by terrorism, to leading international efforts against Daesh’s appalling propaganda.

The minister will meet the Iraqi Foreign Minister, Fuad Hussein, to discuss how the 2 countries can develop their security partnership and the role the UK plays in developing Iraq’s counter propaganda abilities.

He will highlight the invaluable work of the Communications Cell, hosted by the UK, whose targeted campaigns have diminished support for terrorism. Through work to undermine Daesh propaganda in the Middle East, Afghanistan and parts of Africa, the UK’s Counter-Daesh Communications Cell has reached audiences in the tens of millions, contributing to a sustained reduction in support for the terrorist group, and increased public trust in legitimate authorities and security forces.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 28 September 2024.

The 2024 Canada-U.K. Media Freedom Award has been presented today to independent Afghan journalists and media organizations for their courageous reporting despite restrictions imposed by the Taliban.

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, and H.E. Lord Collins of Highbury, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Africa) of the United Kingdom, presented the award to Lotfullah Najafizada, CEO of Amu TV, on behalf of his fellow independent Afghan journalists and media organizations.

This award signals the enduring commitment of both Canada and the United Kingdom to support free and independent journalism.

Every day, independent Afghan journalists and media organizations continue to offer a platform for uncensored information and hope in Afghanistan in the face of the severe repression brought by the Taliban since August 2021.

Independent reporters and media organizations navigate the risks posed by the Taliban’s harsh crackdown on journalism, working bravely to ensure the continuation of free press in a difficult climate. They report on significant issues affecting Afghanistan under Taliban rule, including human rights violations and the plight of women and girls, including forced marriages and bans on education.

Established in 2020, the Canada-U.K. Media Freedom award recognises those who have championed freedom of speech and democracy.

Egyptian online newspaper Mada Masr won the award in 2023. Vietnamese journalist Pham Doan Trang was named as winner in 2022, and the 2020 winner was the Belarusian Association of Journalists.

The announcement of the 2024 award comes during the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week.

The Media Freedom Coalition, which the U.K. and Canada co-founded and now has more than 50 members, celebrated its fifth anniversary during the week’s activities.

Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada said:

We commend the independent Afghan journalists and media organizations who are working courageously and tirelessly to bring the world up-to-date information and thoughtful, expert analysis about what is happening in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

Media freedom remains essential to the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms around the world. These independent journalists and media organizations are giving a voice to people whose voices are being silenced. Canada will continue to support them, together with our partners.

Lord Collins of Highbury, UK Minister for Africa said:

Despite the many restrictions they work under, these brave Afghan journalists have found innovative ways to get accurate, timely and valuable information to the people of Afghanistan, including on the plight of women and girls. They play a vital role in preserving the truth. The U.K. remains committed to media freedom, and to championing human rights and democracy around the world.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 September 2024.

Representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, and the Republic of Yemen gave a joint statement on the Houthis’ unjustified detention of people in Yemen.

Statement by representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, and the Republic of Yemen:

On September 25, representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, and the Republic of Yemen met to discuss the impact of unjustified Houthi detentions of United Nations, NGO, civil society, former diplomatic mission, and other staff in Yemen.

These individuals must be released immediately, and all staff must be allowed to perform their work without fear of unjustified detention or intimidation. We call on all countries and organizations to explore every possible diplomatic channel to advance negotiations for the release of current detainees.

The Houthis must respect international norms and ensure the safety and security of all diplomatic, humanitarian, civil society, and United Nations personnel. We cannot in good conscience put individuals at risk of unjustified detention or worse by continuing business as usual.

As a result of the detentions, we support the United Nations in its decision to minimize the exposure of staff to risk in Houthi-controlled territories. We welcome the UN decision to suspend all non-life saving and non-life sustaining activities in Houthi-controlled areas and call on the international community to redirect such assistance to elsewhere in the country. We urge the Houthis to provide an adequate operating environment in which principled humanitarian assistance can be implemented.

Delivering aid to those most in need across Yemen remains an international humanitarian imperative and requires an operating environment which assures the safety and security of aid workers. We underscore our strong concern for the welfare and dignity of the Yemeni people, and our desire to continue to be able to support their well-being, which is inhibited by the actions and repression of the Houthis.

We reaffirm our strong commitment to the unity, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Yemen, and our determination to stand by the people of Yemen.