Nigerian-British Florence Eshalomi Appointed UK Trade Envoy To Nigeria

A 44-year-old Nigerian-British politician, Florence Eshalomi has been appointed as the United Kingdom’s trade envoy to Nigeria.

Eshalomi who is now the second Nigerian to be appointed as the UK trade envoy after Helen Grant confirmed her appointment on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday.

“It is an honour to have been appointed as the United Kingdom’s Trade Envoy to Nigeria,” she wrote.

“I’m looking forward to building on my close ties with Nigeria to promote a strong and flourishing economic relationship between our two great nations.

“I am looking forward to building on the UK’s relationship with Nigeria, to help explore shared growth and opportunities for both countries,” Eshalomi said.

Confirming Eshalomi’s post in a statement on Tuesday, the UK’s Business and Trade Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds announced the appointment of 32 parliamentarians, stating that trade and investment are key to delivering economic growth.

“I’ve launched a new team of Trade envoys, who will use their experience, expertise and knowledge to unlock new markets around the world for British businesses, drumming up investment into the UK and ultimately driving economic growth,” Reynolds said.

Eshalomi was first elected as a member of parliament (MP) for Vauxhall in 2019, succeeding Kate Hoey.

She was re-elected in 2024 for the newly created Vauxhall and Camberwell Green constituency.

A member of the Labour and Cooperative parties, she previously represented Lambeth and Southwark as a London Assembly member (AM) from 2016 to 2021.

Before her new appointment, she focused on transport, housing, and equality issues as an MP and currently serves as chair of the housing, communities, and local government committee.