UK Names Ben Coleman New Trade Envoy to Morocco and West Africa

Rabat – The United Kingdom appointed Ben Coleman as its Trade Envoy to Morocco and West Africa.

The appointment, announced by the UK’s Secretary of the Department of Business and Trade (DBT) on Tuesday, Jonathan Reynolds, is part of a broader appointment initiative of 32 envoys covering 79 markets.

“UK’s trade envoys will play a crucial role in implementing the government’s industrial and trade strategies and attracting foreign direct investments,” the Business and Trade Department said in a statement following news of the appointment.

“UK Trade Envoys will be essential in delivering the government’s growth mission and implementing our change plan by helping create opportunities for British businesses to compete abroad, enter new markets, and attract more foreign investment.”

Coleman, a Labour Party Member of Parliament representing Chelsea and Fulham in West London, joins a group of envoys tasked with an economic growth agenda.

His appointment comes as Morocco-UK economic ties continue to bloom, particularly following the 2021 Morocco-UK Association Agreement.

The agreement, which took effect in January 2021, has successfully boosted trade relations between the two countries.

Under the terms of the agreement, bilateral exchanges between Morocco and the UK are of a “win-win” nature and stamped by a co-development partnership between the two countries.

A recent UK Food Security Report 2024 recognized Morocco-UK’s growing robust agricultural ties, demonstrating the importance of the partnership between the two countries with Morocco emerging as a key supplier of fresh produce to the UK.

In 2023, Morocco’s agricultural exports to the UK reached $554.37 million.

In terms of goods and services, data from the UK’s DBT stated that exchanges between the two countries totaled £3.8 billion in 2023.

Beyond trade, and aware of the strategic importance of Morocco, a growing number of UK PMs have reiterated calls for the British government to formally recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara region in southern Morocco.