Professor Pauline Long joins Lord Paul Boateng and Calvin Bailey MP at Labour Africa Network Global Partnership Conference

A host of dignitaries from across UK and Africa gathered in London at the recent collaborative event between Labour African Network at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Global Partnerships Conference 2026.

The high level event was attended by Professor Pauline Long, Lord Paul Boateng, Calvin Bailey MP, various African Ambassadors, business leaders and representatives of governments.

Diaspora as Strategic Partners in Global Development can no longer be ignored therefore the summit aimed to elevate diaspora stakeholders from peripheral actors to strategic partners, aiding these stakeholders to advance development and finance cooperation between their home and host nations.

This aligns with the overarching goal of integrating and connecting African diaspora communities into the modern UK-Africa partnership frameworks in development, finance, trade and technology.

Recent events in the international community have motivated shifting geopolitics and fiscal constraints developmental finance, encouraging emphasis on locally led development approaches. No doubt the African diaspora communities represent the most impactful yet underutilized constituencies in this policy space. Their unique position at the intersection of capital, innovation and knowledge exchange places them as key stakeholders to the core priorities of the Global Partnerships Conference.

Professor Pauline Long and Calvin Bailey MP

Professor Pauline Long and Lord Paul Boateng

Significantly, the UK's prominent position as a global financial hub with a deeply connected African diaspora network provides a transformative opportunity to consolidate modern UK-Africa partnerships in development and finance institutions, corporate partnerships, and policy collaboration.

The panel discussions moderated by Tobechukwu Nneli explored practical pathways to strategically leverage the African diaspora communities in the UK and integrate them into the UK development approach to attain regional and global development objectives.

Among the speakers on the panel were CANUK Chairman Hon. Dr Ilyasu Maisanda, Caroline Kende-Robb, AFFORD Executive Director Stella Opoku-Owosu, Minister at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco Imane Dryef, African Development Bank Senior Director Caroline Kende-Robb and African Union Commission Head of Diaspora Angela Naa Afoley Odai.