Sadiq Khan visited Lagos on 15 July 2025, marking the first stop of his five-day trade mission to Africa. His itinerary included the Lagos Canvas creative showcase at EbonyLife Place, a visit to the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, and meetings with local leaders from the technology and cultural sectors.

As London’s first-ever mayor-led trade delegation to Africa, it represents an interesting type of partnership that is granular and city-to-city in nature. 

By operating at this level, the mission circumvents the gridlock of national politics and offers a more human centered discussion on creativity.  

In other words, Lagos is talking to London about its people, and London is talking to Lagos about its people; it’s an intimate conversation.

Image Above: Sadiq Khan. Credit: Evening Standard

What could come out of this visit?

In this sense, London is not just exporting expertise; it is importing insight, learning from African cities that are also battling the 21st century’s most pressing urban challenges. Let’s face it, things haven’t been smooth for London either.

To put it simply, Lagos will teach London. London will teach Lagos. 

What Could Lagos Offer and Vice versa?

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The mission included engagements with artists, chefs, entrepreneurs, and cultural leaders, emphasizing the people as capital approach to business.

This approach leverages what London & Partners calls “living bridges”—diaspora communities that connect capital, talent, and innovation across continents, through food, music, art and tech.

All this is deeply aligned with a broader UK diplomatic reset, in which the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has held extensive consultations with 47 African nations and more than 200 stakeholders to craft a new partnership model. 

In 2024, UK–Africa trade reached £50 billion, with UK exports to the continent rising 7% year-on-year.

The tech sector, in particular, serves as a compelling case study of bilateral opportunity. Lagos, for instance, has emerged as a global tech hub, being named the fastest growing tech city in 2025.

London, already a leader in European tech investment, could see this as fertile ground for cross-border innovation, capital flows, and startup exchange.

Moreover, the financial linkage is growing stronger. The London Stock Exchange’s listing of GTCO in 2025 and plans for a Nairobi–London stock exchange connectivity program demonstrate how the financial infrastructure is evolving to support deeper UK–Africa economic integration.

Why could Sadiq Khan be interested in Lagos? 

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Khan’s leadership of this mission cannot be separated from his personal story. Born in 1970 in Tooting, South London, to Pakistani Muslim immigrant parents, his father was a London bus driver and his mother a seamstress. 

He grew up in a working-class household in a council flat, attending local state schools before studying law at the University of North London. 

Elected as Mayor of London in 2016 as a candidate for the Labour Party, he became the first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital. He was re-elected in 2021 with 55.2% of the vote in the final round. 

This makes him a natural envoy for missions that seek to build global relationships. The choice of envoy also underscores the deep cultural and human ties between London and the African continent. Considering that a significant of London’s population is of Black African or of Caribbean heritage.

Geopolitical Riposte: Is All That Glitters Gold?

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Khan’s mission is taking place against a backdrop of intensifying global competition for influence in Africa. China’s Belt and Road Initiative has already partnered with 44 Sub-Saharan African nations, while Russia has expanded its diplomatic and military presence across the continent. These relationships often reflect state-led, top-down models of engagement.

Hopefully, Khan’s African mission embodies a model of diplomacy that reflects the wishes of the 21st-century African, and that wish is not London pushing into Africa, like everyone else in the past, but London working with Africa, through mutual interest and collaborative design.