How London and Africa are closer than you think

Richard Burge shares his thoughts on boosting trade with Africa, Levelling Up London, and the importance of working collaboratively with other Chambers.

Nurturing strong, positive links between London and Africa is on the agenda for the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“Africa is a continent of wonderful countries and we are flying the flag for Africa here, in the best city in the world,” said Richard Burge.

“We are establishing an African Hub in the City to support businesses across London who want to engage with Africa. We need businesses to pursue the adventure of trade. It can be difficult but no more difficult than trading with America.

“We are hoping that the Hub will inspire a lot of businesses that not only that it will be a good market, but it will also be a lot of fun. That’s what I’m keen to show businesses.”

Information on where the Hub will be located will be released soon.

International trade

Free trade agreements (FTAs) between the UK and Australia and New Zealand are due to come into force on 31 May 2023, which has been welcomed by the British Chambers of Commerce.

“FTAs are proceeding, but let’s not get too excited,” he said.

“It’s just replicated what we had before; not much has changed, but they imply trust and are a helpful step forward. Can we do this with other countries? It shows it can be done.

“We are no closer to a trade deal with America. What can we do to make trade easier? With America, it’s about trade facilitation and individual states. We often make the mistake of thinking of America as one country but a lot of it is dealing with individual states. Individual states are keen to do that because they are competing with other states.”

A big issue for the business community is obtaining business visas.

“As a country and in London, one of the biggest problems we are facing is business visas and how difficult the Home Office makes it to obtain one,” he added.

“There are delays with visas, and that’s got to change. Business visas should be dealt with by the Business and Trade Department not the Home Office, the same as student visas should be dealt with by the Department for Education not the Home Office. They don’t need the Home Office getting in the middle of it. The Home Office should only deal with immigration not business visas.”

Levelling Up London

Levelling Up London is “here to stay”.

“The focus is always on particular places, but it would be better to focus on people rather than places to hit its target,” he said.

“I wonder if in London we need to articulate Levelling Up much more in terms of what London needs, instead of saying that we are hard done by. We need to put a positive case forward for London.”

Recruitment in London is “still a big issue”, especially in the hospitality industry.

“There are four major hotels opening up in London and this will inevitably take good staff from other hotels,” said Richard.

“Generally, there is relatively low unemployment in London. We do have a problem with over-50s leaving the workplace since Covid. As employers, how do we bring back these experienced middle managers who are the glue of workforces? The incentive for them to return to work isn’t there; we haven’t got the pull to draw them back right yet. Financial incentives aren’t enough.”

London is “proving to be as resilient as always”.

“It’s a complex time,” he said. “We have a skills shortage, but we also have a pocket of people who can’t get a job.

“Overall, our international work is expanding and we’re getting a lot of interest from overseas, but Britain’s influence has diminished.

“People are still investing and still want to talk to London, but the UK is seen as a declining brand and I don’t think that this is going to be solved by a flash campaign, it needs to be through policy change.”

Having a local Chamber’s support is important for networking, recruitment, growth and sharing ideas.

“Businesses have access to their local Chambers,” he said.

“The Chambers across London are active; things are going well and will continue to go well. We have 19 Chambers affiliated to us [LCCI] and it is a genuine network.

“Other Chambers are a great place for support too, whether it’s here or overseas. Every problem you face, someone else has faced it so I always say that I talk to people and steal their solutions!”

Supporting the Ukraine

A key part of Richard’s role is engaging with other Chambers internationally. In June, he will be attending the Geneva World Chambers Congress and at the end of July, he will visit the US to meet other chief executives of Chambers.

His recent visit to the Ukraine has forged good links with the Chambers there.

“We have got a major role in the Ukraine Congress,” he said.

“We’re forming business ventures with the Ukraine Chambers.

“The focus of the G7 Summit this year is how we can all continue to support the Ukraine.”

The LCCI is hosting a joint float with Kyiv at the Lord Mayor’s Show in November.

“Our Chamber offices will be turned into Ukraine – decorations, food such as dumplings – for the day. It’s all about keeping Ukraine as a focus. This is going to go on and on, so we need to keep reminding people that they need our support.”