Mar 27, 2026

BEI Weekly Update - 27th March 2026

by

David Landsman

by

Dear Members and Friends,

I’m writing this week’s newsletter on my way back from Sri Lanka, which is the first country to have requested support from an ADB emergency funding facility established to help countries affected by the conflict in the Middle East. Sri Lanka is of course by no means the only country to be facing challenges - including a petrol shortage and a fall in tourism. I doubt there’s any BEI member who isn’t seeing some of these effects at first hand. Beyond the immediate crisis, which one hopes will be swiftly resolved, it is likely that there will be lasting effects, particularly in less developed countries. If you have thoughts on the implications in your sectors and focus regions and what can be done, please do share them with us.

This week was particularly exciting for us at BEI as we welcomed a delegation from across the Overseas Territories who are in London for a Trade and Investment Study Visit. Together with the FCDO Overseas Territories and Polar Directorate, BEI co-convened a programme of activities to explore best practice for resilient infrastructure.

On Monday the delegation visited our members Tetra Tech and Arup, on Tuesday they toured a waste-to-energy plant in North London with WSP, before joining AECOM for a deep dive into their work on resilient infrastructure. On Wednesday the team went to Stansted Airport for a tour with the Manchester Airports Group and British Aviation. Back at Birdcage Walk we held a session on ocean mapping with WRc and a networking reception in partnership with the Caribbean Council and the FCDO. On Thursday, the delegation headed to Acrow to visit a climate resilient robotics modular bridge building site, and today (Friday) they are with UKCEH and HR Wallingford to focus on water resilience. Many thanks to Robbie Bulloch, Director for Overseas Territories and Polar at FCDO and to Kabir Rahman at FCDO for their continued support for our work with the Overseas Territories.

If you are interested in hearing more about our key takeaways from the mission, we will be publishing these in the coming weeks – keep an eye out for further details. The first of these outputs, titled “Leading with Science®: Tetra Tech’s Contributions to the Overseas Territories Trade & Investment Dialogue”, draws on the delegations visit to Tetra Tech. Click here to read.

With the Easter holidays soon approaching, next week will be quieter here at BEI. After Easter, on Thursday 16th April from 10:00-11:30 BST, we will be hosting a webinar for members titled "Skills for the Future" which will provide a platform for learning and collaboration between partners and organisations providing skills programmes. The session will focus on digital skills, green skills, and the inclusion of marginalised groups. To register, click here.

We look forward to continuing our series with FCDO Development Directors. Our next session is with Alice Motion, Development Director in Sudan, who will offer updates on the context on the ground and insights into development programming in Sudan. This session will take place on 21 April from 10:00-11:00 BST – if you are interested in joining, click here.

On 23 April from 10:00-11:00 BST, we will be hosting a webinar on opportunities for partnership and innovation in African tech sectors. The session will provide companies with practical insight into the rapidly evolving African technology landscape and the growing opportunities for Africa-UK collaboration. If this is of interest, click this link.

Finally, the FCDO has published their SME action plan for 2025 to 2028; it’s great to see that it made reference to our work facilitating community engagement sessions with the FCDO SME Advisory Forum. We look forward to continuing to strengthen SME engagement with HMG. To read the Action Plan, click here.

Although the weather may not be quite the same as I am leaving behind in South Asia, I am looking forward to catching up with BEI colleagues in person and seeing members and friends soon. Best wishes for the weekend ahead,

David Landsman

Executive Chair

British Expertise International

Event Recordings and Resources:

(Member access only)‍

Upcoming BEI Events:

Tuesday 21st April 10:00 – 11:00 BST: FCDO Development Director: Sudan - Join us as Alice Motion, the Development Director in Sudan for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), will offer us updates on the current context on the ground as well as insights into FCDO’s development strategy in the country.‍
Thursday 16th April 10:00 – 11:30 BST: Skills for the Future - This session will provide a platform for learning and collaboration between partners and organisations providing skills programmes. Decisions made today about education, workforce readiness, and social development will determine the level of resilience to future challenges, especially related to increasingly harsh climate conditions. As such, this session will focus on digital skills, green skills, and the inclusion of marginalised groups.
Thursday 23rd April 10:00 – 11:00 BST: Opportunities for Partnership and Innovation in African Tech Sectors - Join us for a webinar exploring Opportunities for Partnership and Innovation in African Tech Sectors, which will provide companies with practical insight into the rapidly evolving African technology landscape and the growing opportunities for Africa-UK collaboration.‍
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.‍
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: Strengthening Equitable and Inclusive Health - This in-person panel event 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:

14th-25th April 2026: International Forum “Partnership for Sustainable Development: Green. Digital. Smart” in Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan - The International University of Tourism and Entrepreneurship of Tajikistan (IUTET), in coordination with the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, is organizing the International Forum "Partnership for Sustainable Development: GREEN. DIGITAL. SMART".
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.
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