BEI Weekly Update — 31st August 2018

The calendar of upcoming events and a weekly update from BEI

Dear Members and Friends,

The summer break is almost over, kids will be going back to school and business will be back in full swing for those industries where summer marks a slowdown in activity.

We have enjoyed some unprecedented hot and sunny days — climate change is very much alive.

The British Prime Minister, Theresa May is currently in Africa and it was good to hear her emphasise the increased support to private sector growth and UK’s continued commitment to the 0.7% GNI spend on international development ODA.

The Brexit solution continues to haunt the government and with no clarity, anxiety remains high among UK plc operating internationally. We gather that preparation plans to see us through a no-deal scenario are in progress, but some suspect an eleventh-hour solution may be what we will settle for.

Meanwhile, here at BEI we are looking forward to our flagship event, the 2019 British Expertise International Awards, scheduled for 11 April 2019. The event recognises British excellence in the infrastructure and international development sectors and entries will be open very soon. We would encourage all our members to submit their projects for consideration.

We look forward to seeing you at upcoming events, details below. Please feel free to contact me directly with any suggestions for event topics of speakers that you feel would be of interest to you and the wider membership.

With Best Regards,

Derrick

Director, British Expertise International

Upcoming Events

For any event registration assistance please contact Sue Watkins. Click on titles to access more event details. The full calendar can be viewed here and recently added events are highlighted with an asterisk*

Wednesday 5th September
Doing Development Differently — Putting Theory into Practice
Join us as Leni Wild, Director — Global Learning for Adaptive Management at ODI shares her insights and experience on the ‘doing development differently’ approach, of which DFID is a proponent.

Thursday 6th September
Roundtable with Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation
The Saudi British Joint Business Council (SBJBC UK) and BEI will be hosting a roundtable with a high-level delegation from the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA)

Wednesday 12th September
Lunch with the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Rt Hon. Alistair Burt MP, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will share his views on the Middle East region and the business opportunities for British companies.

Tuesday 18th September
Accessing Project Financing Support — UK Export Finance
UKEF has some £50bn allocated to support UK companies finance overseas projects and operations. The UKEF team will provide insights into how UK companies can access this financial support.

Thursday 4th October
DFID’s digital Strategy — Doing Development in a Digital World
Frances Sibbet, DFID’s Digital Service Lead will share DFID’s Digital Strategy and how the organisation is preparing for ‘Doing Development in a Digital World’.

Tuesday 9th October
EBRD Infrastructure & Procurement — Working and Delivering on Projects
Sue Barrett, Director for Transport and Jan Jackholt, Director of Procurement, from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will share useful information and updates on strategies, working and delivering projects with the EBRD.

Thursday 18th October*
Enhancing Local Content Contribution in Projects
Join BEI in partnership with Invest in Africa for a stimulating discussion on the use of local content in projects, its benefits and challenges including how it can be a competitive advantage in delivering projects.

Tuesday 30th October*
Lunch with HE Mr Sulaiman Hamid Almazroui, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates
BEI’s Middle East Access Group will host HE Mr Sulaiman Almazroui, Ambassador of the UAE as he shares insights on the political and economic overview and also opportunities for British business in the UAE.

External Events

3rd–4th October
Best of Nigeria Investment Exhibition (BONIE2018)

Platinum Suite, ExCel London
With Theresa May’s pledge to boost Britain’s investment in Africa, her visit to Nigeria as Brexit Trade Mission continues, and Buhari’s administration’s promise to make Nigeria a global investment destination, BONIE EXPO on October 3rd and 4th at the ExCel London couldn’t be timelier.

Register your place(s) for our Exhibitor and SME Booster Packages before September 14th and save 10%. Quote BEI. For further information, email info@bestofnigeria.org or call +44 203 086 8187.

Wednesday 19th September
Opportunity Arabia — Oil and Beyond Conference

The Grocers’ Hall, Princes Street, London EC2R
Opportunity Arabia — Oil and Beyond, is a key conference on Saudi Arabia, now in its 14th year. The conference focuses on the current developments and opportunities taking place in the Kingdom and brings together leaders and experts in both business and government to share their insights and offer invaluable advice on how best to succeed in the Saudi market. BEI members will be entitled to a preferential event rate of £95+vat by using the promotional code BEOA18 at the time of booking.

Friday 21st September*
Airports Roundtable Meeting — DIT Indonesia and Vietnam
3 Whitehall Place, Westminster, SW1A 2AW
DIT Director of Trade and Investment in Jakarta, Joel Derbyshire and Chair of the British Aviation Group, Graham Bolton will be hosting a roundtable meeting on the Indonesia Airport Sector and opportunities for British companies.

Deputy Consul-General and Head of Trade and Investment for the British Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, Neill James, will also be attending the meeting to provide an update on airport developments in Vietnam and share on a proposed mission to Vietnam.

If you would like to attend please email Sue Watkins by midday 11 September 2018 expressing interest in either or both sessions, so that we can send a consolidated list to DIT.

24th — 28th October
EAA Investment Mission to Ethiopia
East Africa Association along with the EU will be taking an investment delegation to Ethiopia. Eastern Africa recorded the continent’s best economic performance in 2017 and, within that, Ethiopia stands out as the fastest growing country. Please contact John Small for mission details or to express interest for what should be a very interesting trip to one of the most fascinating and diverse countries on the continent.

18th — 21st November
UK Technology & Smart Cities Delegation to Saudi Arabia
SBJBC will be leading a UK Technology & Smart Cities delegation to Saudi Arabia. For further information please visit their website.
Register here →

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