British businesses secure £330 million of African infrastructure contracts

UK firms will help deliver new schools, clean water infrastructure, electricity networks and government buildings.

Project deals announced as government backs closer trade ties with fast-growing West and Central African markets
UK Export Finance increases its exposure capacity across West and Central Africa by £1.7 billion, creating more opportunity for British exporters

British businesses are set to secure more than £330 million of export contracts to help deliver nine major infrastructure projects across Guinea and Benin.

The contracts will see UK companies supplying goods and services for projects spanning education, clean water, electricity transmission and government infrastructure, supporting jobs and growth at home while delivering vital infrastructure overseas.

The deals are being supported by £1.1 billion in financing and guarantees from UK Export Finance (UKEF), the government’s export credit agency.

They are being announced as the fifth UK-West and Central Francophone Africa Trade and Investment Forum (WCAF) opens today in Conakry, Guinea, bringing together British businesses and potential partners from across the region.

UKEF is also increasing its exposure capacity across the region by £1.7 billion, giving it greater capacity to support future projects involving British exporters.

Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said:

These deals are a major win for UK businesses, helping them secure new contracts in fast-growing markets and driving jobs and growth across the United Kingdom.

By backing projects like these, UK Export Finance is helping British firms win work overseas, creating opportunities for communities here at home while strengthening our trade partnerships across West and Central Africa.

Tim Reid, CEO of UK Export Finance, said:

British businesses have won a huge number of contracts to support key infrastructure projects across the region in recent years, driving job creation in the UK while helping our partners in francophone Africa build the infrastructure they need.

This is part of the reason we hold the WCAF, we’ve seen many deals signed over the years, and it highlights how UKEF can make a real difference around the world while driving growth in every postcode of the UK.

UKEF is providing finance worth £75 million to support a large-scale education infrastructure programme delivering new primary and secondary schools across four regions, improving access to education for thousands of children through modern classrooms, sanitation and related facilities, with the contract won by Planet One.

A further £91 million will back the Guinea Regional Water Project, a multi-region programme expanding access to clean, potable water through new treatment and distribution infrastructure, delivered by UK-headquartered Aqua Africa, which has previously secured UKEF-backed financing for water infrastructure in the region.

UKEF is also providing £129 million towards the La Cotiere Conakry Transmission project in Guinea, part of a wider electricity network programme to improve power distribution around the country’s coastal region, with the contract secured by Elecnor and expected to create UK supply-chain opportunities in transmission equipment, grid technology and engineering services.

In Benin, UKEF is providing finance of £82 million which will help fund a new government administrative complex, consolidating public services within a modern urban development, with the contract awarded to ACC UK Group Ltd and opportunities for UK firms to contribute design, engineering, security systems and specialist building services.

WCAF V, hosted by UKEF in partnership with DMA Invest and the Guinean government, will take place until 21 October 2026.

Atam Sandhu, CEO of DMA Invest, added:

WCAF is about turning relationships into results. Over five editions, our ambition at DMA has remained clear: to bring governments, businesses and financiers together to help move priority projects from discussion towards delivery. We extend our sincere thanks to the Government and people of Guinea for hosting WCAF V in Conakry, and for the leadership, commitment and hospitality that have brought this growing partnership together.