Britain’s foreign minister has said a visit to Ethiopia on Monday will focus on efforts to reduce migration from the Horn of Africa to the United Kingdom.
Yvette Cooper said the UK would seek to address the economic factors driving people to leave Ethiopia through job creation partnerships, while also strengthening law enforcement cooperation to tackle migrant smuggling networks and speed up the return of people with no right to remain in Britain.
“We are working together to tackle the economic drivers of illegal migration and the criminal gangs who operate globally, profiting from trading in people,” Cooper said in a statement. “That includes new partnerships to improve trade and create thousands of good jobs in Ethiopia so people can find a better life at home instead of making dangerous journeys.”
Successive UK governments have struggled to curb irregular migration, an issue that has fuelled support for populist politician Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, which currently leads opinion polls.
The UK foreign ministry said nationals from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan accounted for about 30% of people who crossed the English Channel in small boats over the past two years.
As part of the visit, Cooper is expected to sign an agreement with Ethiopia to advance two energy transmission projects led by Gridworks, a UK-backed investment organisation, aimed at supporting job creation.
She is also due to announce £17m in funding for programmes addressing violence against women and girls, providing assistance to 68,000 malnourished children, and supporting projects working with displaced people.
