LONDON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Boris Johnson
called for deeper investment ties between Britain and Africa at
a summit for leaders of 21 African countries on Monday that
comes days before his country will leave the European Union.
After securing Britain's departure from the EU, the world's
largest trading bloc, on Jan. 31, Johnson is keen to develop
business ties with countries outside Europe.
At the summit in London, Johnson called for Britain to be
the "investment partner of choice" for Africa.
The prime minister announced an end to British support for
thermal coal mining or coal power plants overseas, saying it
made no sense for Britain to cut its carbon emissions from power
generation at home while supporting coal-fired projects abroad.
"Not another penny of UK tax payers money will be directly
invested in digging up coal or burning it for electricity," he
said.
Instead Britain would focus on helping countries extract and
use oil and gas in the cleanest way possible and on encouraging
investment in solar, wind and hydropower schemes, he said.
Johnson also highlighted deals worth billions of pounds with
countries on the continent, underlining the roles British
companies are playing in providing anything from smart street
lighting in Nigeria to environmentally friendly breweries in
Kenya.