The UK’s new “Approach to Africa”, launched in June 2025, marks a fundamental shift from an aid‑dependent model to one built on mutual prosperity, inclusive trade and co‑created innovation. Rather than viewing Africa through the lens of raw material extraction, this strategy recognises the continent as a dynamic economic powerhouse with growing value chains. It draws on insights from 47 African governments, 25 multilateral institutions, and more than 600 stakeholders across business, civil society, the diaspora, and academia. 

African partners have made clear their desire for deeper collaboration via the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), seeking improved trade‑finance arrangements and equitable partnerships. This approach creates an unprecedented opportunity for UK SMEs to act not merely as exporters but as strategic collaborators in Africa’s industrial transformation.

 

 

High-Impact Sectors

 

Agribusiness: Feeding the Future

 

Africa’s population is set to double by 2050, driving a surge in food demand that outpaces current production and supply‑chain capabilities. Yet agriculture on the continent remains under‑mechanised and highly vulnerable to climate disruptions. 

 

UK SMEs specialising in climate‑resilient farming, precision agriculture and post‑harvest logistics can bridge these gaps through joint ventures and technology transfer. Innovate UK’s Agri‑Tech Catalyst programme has already committed up to £2.5 million to drive UK-Africa agritech innovation, and the DEFRA-Innovate UK Investor Partnerships scheme recently added a further £5 million in blended finance to support scalable, sustainable farming solutions. This collaboration extends beyond exporting equipment; it is about co-designing resilient food systems that reduce waste, withstand droughts, and foster inclusive growth across rural communities.

 

 

Tech & Digital: Closing Gaps, Creating Markets

 

Investment in Africa’s tech ecosystem reached $5.2 billion in 2024, underscoring the continent’s rise as a digital innovation hub. The UK has responded through the Global Alliance Africa initiative, which fosters cross‑border R&D in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa and supports SMEs co‑developing fintech platforms, mobile banking applications and logistics optimisation tools alongside African partners. 

 

By engaging in these networks, UK businesses can craft culturally attuned, scalable digital solutions. This collaborative model grants first‑mover access to markets where mobile‑first innovations leapfrog traditional infrastructure, offering rapid customer adoption and growth.

 

 

Green Energy: Powering Transformation

 

Approximately 600 million Africans lack reliable electricity, creating a major development challenge and a commercial opportunity estimated at $70 billion per year in renewable energy markets. UK Export Finance (UKEF) has stepped up support, underwriting a €415 million infrastructure deal in Angola that underpins 11,000 jobs and involves significant UK SME participation, such as Dints International’s £12.5 million renewables contract. 

 

UK SMEs can enter this sector by partnering on off‑grid solar projects, clean‑cooking technologies and energy‑efficient agro‑processing plants. These ventures represent fully commercial opportunities that meet urgent local demand and accelerate Africa’s energy transition.

 

 

 

Empowering Programmes & Enablers

 

A host of UK‑backed initiatives is now empowering SMEs into African markets. The Global Alliance Africa, an Innovate UK-FCDO partnership launched in 2019, nurtures co‑innovation between UK and African firms across key markets, enabling joint R&D and growing investment pipelines. Meanwhile, the UK’s £35 million AfCFTA Support Package channels funds through TradeMark East Africa to boost digital infrastructure, certification systems and customs facilitation. 

At the same time, UK Export Finance (UKEF) offers guarantees, insurance and bespoke advisory support. Its landmark Angola package unlocked €415 million in infrastructure financing, illustrating how SMEs can collaborate in large deals. UKEF now aims to back 1,000 SMEs annually by 2029 and has published a net‑zero blueprint to align exports with sustainability goals.

 

 

 

 

 

Case Illustrations

 

 

Dints International: Empowering UK SMEs in Angola’s Energy Transition

 

In March 2025, London‑based Dints International secured a £12.5 million contract to deliver renewable‑energy equipment and infrastructure in Angola. The contract, insured by a UKEF loan guarantee to Apple Bank, enabled the Portuguese contractor MCA to purchase UK‑manufactured machinery and transport via Dints. The project supported jobs in Leicestershire, Yorkshire & Humber, Staffordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire as British suppliers such as YorPower and King Trailers shipped vital assets. According to Dints CEO Geoffrey de Mowbray, UKEF created “a transparent, joined‑up route to new territories”. This case shows how a nimble SME can orchestrate a UK supply chain and enter large‑scale projects when backed by structured export finance.

 

 

Innovo Group: UK Exports Driving Angola’s Resilient Infrastructure

 

The €415 million Benguela Province programme in coastal Angola stands as UKEF’s largest Sub‑Saharan sovereign export‑credit transaction. Awarded to Innovo Group, a UK‑based engineering, procurement and construction firm, the project spans 23 sub‑projects for water supply upgrades, stormwater management, sanitation networks, public lighting and road improvements across Benguela, Baía Farta, Catumbela and Lobito. Innovo expects to support 11,000 local jobs and generate over £140 million of UK export content by sourcing equipment and services from British companies. Innovo’s CEO Paul Woodman praised the deal for its social and climate‑resilience impact, while Standard Chartered highlighted the catalytic role of export‑credit finance in delivering sustainable infrastructure.

 

These examples prove that UK SMEs can move beyond commodity trade into co‑created value chains. They demonstrate how structured finance and export‑credit support can lower barriers, de‑risk projects and integrate British expertise into transformative infrastructure that strengthens local economies.

 

 

 

UK SMEs and the Co‑Created Future of Africa

 

The UK’s reimagined Africa strategy is not just a policy shift. It is an open invitation to rewire how business is done across borders. Africa is no longer defined by raw material exports, but by vibrant markets in agritech, fintech, green manufacturing and climate-smart infrastructure. UK SMEs, backed by mechanisms like UKEF, Innovate UK and TradeMark Africa, are uniquely positioned to lead this next wave. Not as bystanders, but as builders of co-created solutions. These are not acts of charity. They are commercially grounded opportunities that reward innovation, adaptability and long-term partnership.

 

 

What we’re witnessing is not a pivot to Africa, but a co-elevation. The Dints and Innovo examples show that SMEs can scale up to sovereign-level contracts when connected to the right networks, finance instruments and operational know-how. There is a shift happening. From extraction to collaboration. From short-term deals to long-term ecosystems. British businesses with specialist technologies, sustainable manufacturing models or even niche digital platforms should not see Africa as peripheral. In many ways, it is the centre of gravity for the next generation of inclusive growth.

 

Now is the time to move beyond the familiar. To see frontier markets not as high-risk, but as high-potential. To embrace complexity, partner deeply and think boldly. Let this be the decade UK SMEs go where only multinationals once dared and thrive doing it. Africa is not waiting. The opportunity is now, and it is mutual.

 

 

NorthStar Consulting delivers insights through data-driven analytics and strategic advisory. Stay ahead of tech trends and investment opportunities with The Pulse.