Hundreds of new jobs are set to be created across the United Kingdom as Nigerian banks, fintech companies and creative industry businesses scale up operations in Britain, coinciding with President Bola Tinubu\u2019s state visit to the country, the British government has announced.\n<\/p>\n
Tinubu, accompanied by his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, arrived at London Stansted Airport at 3:18 p.m. on Tuesday for a two-day state visit making him the first Nigerian presidential visit to the UK in 37 years.\n<\/p>\n
The president and the First Lady will be hosted at Windsor Castle from Wednesday to Thursday, with a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street also scheduled.\n<\/p>\n
The business announcements, contained in a press release published by the UK\u2019s Department for Business and Trade on Tuesday, involve millions of pounds in investment spanning financial services, technology, education and the creative industries.<\/p>\n
Zenith Bank became the first to act, opening a new branch in Manchester on Tuesday with the capacity to generate up to 30 direct jobs, according to the statement.\n<\/p>\n
The bank is also exploring a listing on the London Stock Exchange in 2027 to deepen its UK market presence, the release said.\n<\/p>\n
The Group Managing Director and Chief Executive of Zenith Bank, Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, was quoted in the statement as saying the United Kingdom remained \u201ca key global financial centre,\u201d describing the Manchester opening as \u201canother important milestone\u201d in the bank\u2019s international expansion strategy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will enable us to deepen relationships with our customers, support trade and investments, and connect businesses between Africa and the UK more effectively,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n
According to the British government, seven Nigerian banks now operate in the UK, collectively supporting at least 1,000 jobs.\n<\/p>\n
The statement read, \u201cZenith Bank, one of Nigeria\u2019s largest financial institutions, opens its Manchester branch today [Tuesday 17 March] with the capacity to create up to 30 new direct jobs in a boost for the North West economy. The bank is also exploring a 2027 London Stock Exchange listing to deepen its UK market presence and unlock long-term funding for UK\u2013Africa growth.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cFidbank plans to double its 62\u2011person workforce in 2026 and add new capital, while the Fidelity Group makes London its global hub. FCMB has also selected the UK as the first international destination for its digital cross border payments platform, boosting trade and investment flows between Africa and the rest of the world. Seven Nigerian banks now operate in the UK, supporting at least 1,000 jobs in total.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
In the fintech sector, the statement said LemFi announced a \u00a3100 million investment over the next five years, designating London its global headquarters.\n<\/p>\n
It added that Moniepoint planned to grow its London-based team to 100 employees in 2026, while Kuda Bank said it would double its UK footprint within the same period. <\/p>\n
Fidbank also announced plans to double its 62-person UK workforce in 2026, and FCMB selected the UK as the first international destination for its digital cross-border payments platform, according to the release.<\/p>\n
On the British side, the statement said Twinings Ovaltine launched a \u00a324 million manufacturing facility in Lagos, expected to create over 100 direct jobs and boost exports across West Africa.\n<\/p>\n
British fintech Wise is also set to receive approval for its first Nigerian licence, enabling it to enter a remittances market the government valued at up to \u00a339.9 million, the release added.\n<\/p>\n
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, who was quoted in the statement, said the UK\u2013Nigeria Strategic Partnership was \u201cbringing momentum and opportunity to innovators in both countries.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are reducing barriers, creating jobs and opening new pathways for growth. Growth is the core mission of this government and it underpins our relationship with Nigeria,\u201d Lammy was quoted as saying.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI am deeply proud that the cultural and commercial bonds between our nations are thriving and that both our businesses and people are feeling the benefits of that,\u201d he added.\n<\/p>\n
Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle, also quoted in the release, said the two countries shared \u201ca belief in the power of enterprise, innovation and education to transform lives.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Nigerian firms creating jobs across the UK and British businesses expanding into one of the world\u2019s fastest growing markets, our partnership is strengthening both economies and delivering real benefits for people in both countries,\u201d Kyle said.<\/p>\n
The announcements were made under the framework of the UK\u2013Nigeria Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership. Bilateral trade between the two countries stands at a record \u00a38.1 billion annually, the statement said.\n<\/p>\n
In the creative sector, the release said EbonyLife would launch EbonyLife Place London, creating up to 40 jobs, while a UK\/Nigeria Season of Culture has been scheduled for 2028.\n<\/p>\n
On education, the statement said the University of Birmingham and the University of Lagos signed a new agreement to deliver programmes in Applied AI, Digital Communications and Global Surgery.\n<\/p>\n
The London School of Economics also launched a Data Science partnership with Nile University of Nigeria, according to the release. Wellington College International Lagos is set to open in 2027 with places for 1,500 students under the British curriculum, the statement added.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hundreds of new jobs are set to be created across the United Kingdom as Nigerian banks, fintech companies…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":481659,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[81164,17119,84,1294,11700,61767,1295,23869,53651,171151,56,171152,54,55,171153],"class_list":["post-481658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-bola-tinubu","tag-british-economy","tag-business","tag-economy","tag-fintech","tag-foreign-investment","tag-international-trade","tag-job-creation","tag-london-stock-exchange","tag-nigerian-business","tag-uk","tag-uk-nigeria-partnership","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-zenith-bank"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=481658"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481658\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/481659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=481658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=481658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=481658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}