By Eric King
A new initiative to drive partnership between the Uk and Nigeria has been announced by Theresa May
The initiative is the latest stage of the Ministry of Justice’s ambitious ‘Legal Services are GREAT’ campaign, which aims to promote the strength and breadth of the UK’s legal offer across the globe.
The announcement was made as the Prime Minister visited the securities exchange company FMDQ in Lagos, as part of a wider government drive to deepen its partnerships with African nations.
The legal profession in Britain has a lot to offer Nigeria whose judiciary system has in past times been subject to intimidation and corruption. The dire economic situation in Nigeria has in recent times seen judges sometimes go without wages making some susceptible to bribes. The Eye Of Media.Com has heard that president Buhari has sacked rogue judges in an attempt to clean up the judiciary system.
Ihe new initiative will bring UK and Nigerian legal professionals together to share knowledge, skills and legal expertise and highlight the advantages of UK legal services to wider business growth. The legal profession is broad and complex, calling for expertise knowledge and analysis to broaden its legitimate application in various aspects and fields.
Lord Chancellor David Gauke said:
Our legal services sector is one of the UK’s greatest exports, and we want it to remain at the very heart of our future as a global, outward-looking, free-trading Britain.
We launched the Legal Services are GREAT campaign, to showcase the very best of what the UK’s legal services sector has to offer around the globe, and I’m delighted that we are now extending the campaign to Nigeria.
We know that UK law firms and chambers are keen to increase working in this area and are committed to supporting them to take advantage of the many opportunities on offer.
In 2018, 5 of the world’s fastest-growing economies are African and the continent’s total GDP could well double between 2015 and 2030. The government is keen to support UK law firms and chambers to maximise the potential of this emerging market.
A delegation of legal representatives will visit Nigeria later in the year to meet counterparts and create new business opportunities.
The Legal Services are Great campaign was launched by Lord Keen in Singapore last year and has already delivered trade delegations to Kazakhstan and China.
The campaign promotes the UK’s £24 billion legal services sector overseas, showcasing the very best of what the UK’s legal services sector has to offer and helping to bring new business to the UK for our legal firms, chambers and courts.