Apr 24, 2026

BEI Weekly Update - 24th April 2026

by

David Landsman

by

Dear Members and Friends,

I had the opportunity on Thursday to attend the launch of BII’s new five-year strategy. The introductions from both Development Minister Baroness Chapman and BII’s Chief Executive Leslie Maasdorp put real flesh on the bones of the shift “from donor to investor” and showed how BII’s new strategy can enable it to be a driver for a new and sustainable approach to development, with an enhanced role for crowding in capital into the development ecosystem moving from “doing projects” to long-term locally-based solutions. The new strategy places a clear priority on LDCs/“frontier markets” and on investment which can deliver systemic “market-level” growth, including, for example, port construction and the development of local capital markets. There’s also an ambition to make partnerships with other DFIs more effective through standardising impact metrics. Much of this agenda speaks to the strengths among BEI’s membership. We look forward to continuing the dialogue with Leslie Maasdorp in the coming weeks.

This week, we were grateful to be joined by Alice Motion, FCDO Development Director in Sudan, who provided an update on the current situation on the ground as well as the FCDO country programme. She also covered opportunities to take part in humanitarian and development programmes in the region. Many thanks to Alice for joining us.

Also this week, we co-hosted a session with the FCDO team leading on the preparations for the Global Partnerships Conference next month to discuss the objectives, agenda and role for the broader private sector. It was good to welcome a few non-members too. I’m particularly grateful to Juliette Prodhan and her team for taking the time during the particularly busy period preparing for the conference. We will be following up with members to explore how best to highlight the role that “British expertise” can play in this agenda around the Conference.

On Thursday, we hosted a session on partnership and innovation in Africa tech sectors. Our speakers from the African EdTech Exchange and the Department for Business and Trade provided practical insight into the rapidly evolving African technology landscape and the growing opportunities for Africa-UK collaboration. Many thanks to our speakers and to those who attended.

Next week, we look forward to convening our education members at a critical moment to support learners and educators across the Middle East, who are now facing widespread disruption due to conflict in the region. On Wednesday, 29th April from 10:00-11:30BST, we will host a session titled “Sustaining Education Through Crisis”, for a peer-to-peer practical knowledge exchange, exploring approaches to supporting the resilience of education systems in conflict settings. If you are interested in joining, click here.

In a few weeks’ time, on 12th May from 10:00-11:30 GMT we will also be hosting a session on preventing technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Our panel of speakers from Social Development Direct and BBC Media Action will explore what effective prevention looks like in practice and will discuss how the media can help change behaviours to challenge harmful social norms. If you are interested in joining, click here.

Finally, the BEI team has been continuing our work on the Overseas Territories, following up on the successful visit by an OTs delegation last month. We have two new pieces on our website which draw on key takeaways from the delegation's visit to key UK infrastructure projects. You can read ‘Delivering a Better World: AECOM's Contributions to the Overseas Territories Trade & Investment Dialogue’ and ‘Ocean Economy Satellite Accounts: Water Research Centre’s (WRc) Contributions to the Overseas Territories Trade & Investment Dialogue’ at the following links. In the near future, I also look forward to sharing an in depth report highlighting key takeaways from the visit and drawing on practical case studies and examples of UK expertise and innovation to support growth and development in the OTs.

My best wishes for what promises, in the UK at least, to be a pleasant weekend,

David Landsman

Executive Chair

British Expertise International

Event Recordings and Resources:

(Member access only)‍

Upcoming BEI Events:

Wednesday 29th April 2026 10:00 – 11:30 BST: Sustaining Education through Crisis - Join us for a session convening our education members at a critical moment in supporting learners and educators across the Middle East, who are now facing widespread disruption as a result of conflict in the region.
Tuesday 12th May 2026 10:00 – 11:30 BST: Preventing Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) - Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) is a growing problem around the world. During this session, our panel of speakers from Social Development Direct and BBC Media Action will explore what effective prevention looks like in practice and will discuss how the media can help change behaviours to challenge harmful social norms.
Thursday 14th May 2026 10:30 – 13:00 BST: Exploring Opportunities in India's Built Environment - We are taking expressions of interest for a built environment roundtable with a delegation of senior representatives from leading Indian infrastructure businesses.
Wednesday 10th June 2026 14:00 – 15:00 BST: Rwanda Market Opportunity Overview - Join us for a virtual market opportunity overview session on Rwanda. We will be joined by speakers from the British Chamber of Commerce in Rwanda, the British High Commission in Rwanda and the Rwanda Development Board.
Wednesday 17th June 2026 18:30 – 20:30 BST: Strategy International Summer Reception - Join British Expertise International and the organisations across Strategy International for our annual summer reception. BEI members should register through this page, or otherwise email events@britishexpertise.org.
Date and Time TBC: Infrastructure Deep Dive - Republic of Korea - Join us for a virtual Market Opportunity Overview on the Republic of Korea to explore opportunities for UK organisations looking to work in the region. This session will highlight available support for UK private sector delivery partners and offer a platform for discussions of success, challenges and market access barriers.
Date and Time TBC: Diplomatic Dialogue: UK-Angola - Join us for a roundtable with the UK Ambassador to Angola, H.E. Bharat Joshi, to discuss the current business landscape in Angola, barriers to entry and key opportunities, particularly around infrastructure.
Date and Time TBC: Strengthening Equitable and Inclusive Health - This webinar will explore best practice for strengthening global health systems. With a focus on equitable and inclusive health, the session will highlight gender and disability inclusion, with a deep dive on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SHRH) programming within international development programming.‍
Date and Time TBC: Working with the Inter-American Development Bank - Preceding the Inter-American Development Bank's (IDB) visit to the UK in early June, join us for this virtual session exploring the IDB's work as a principle source of financing, technical expertise and knowledge for sustainable and inclusive development. Our panel of speakers from the IDB will share an update on its strategy, alongside information about how it works with suppliers and guidance on navigating its procurement process.

Register for an upcoming event →

External Events and Resources:

13th May 2026 09:00 – 17:30 BST: R ealising Libya's Energy Ambitions - Convened by the Libyan British Business Council (LBBC), this event will take place as a featured country focus within the Africa Energies Summit 2026 - Africa's premier global upstream gathering.
11th - 14th May: Endeavor Jordan alongside some of the most successful Jordanian entrepreneurs, will be in London from May 11–14 and are looking to connect with the British companies, business incubators and Jordanian diaspora in the entrepreneurial space, including founders, investors, operators, ecosystem builders, and industry leaders building and scaling from the UK. If you are interested in meeting with the group, please email Sofia Pennacchietti via sp@britishexpertise.org. There is also an event taking place on Tuesday, 12th May from 18:00-20:00, which you can register for at this link.
Cambridge Education Legacy Webinar Series - A special legacy webinar series sharing key lessons from 45 years of supporting education systems worldwide, with a look ahead to the future of the global education sector.
AI for Social Impact Webcast Series from Accenture - A series of one-hour sessions, open to all organizations in the social impact sector including non-profits and social enterprises. Each webcast will focus on a key theme within AI, designed to be relevant and applicable to social impact organizations of a variety of sizes, geographies, and current levels of AI proficiency.
City & Guilds: Essential Digital Skills: Employer Perceptions Survey