The UK and Zambia have reached agreements on clean energy and critical minerals, it was announced on Thursday.

Britain’s foreign minister James Cleverly has been on a four-day trip to Africa to strengthen ties with the country.

The minister has used the visit to aim to boost the UK’s influence in Africa and has also welcomed regional discussions on the Niger crisis and has unveiled support for the agricultural sector in Nigeria.

According to the foreign ministry, Cleverly would agree to a UK-Zambia Green Growth Compact, which is hoped will generate £2.5 billion of UK private sector investment in Zambia’s mining, minerals and renewable energy sectors, as well as £500 million of investments backed by the government, Reuters news agency reports.

“Working together with our partners in Zambia, the UK is driving the clean energy transition. The UK-Zambia Green Growth Compact and our landmark agreement on critical minerals will support investment between UK and Zambian business, creating jobs in both countries and improving environmental and social standards,” the UK foreign minister stated.

“Together, we will build a stronger, greener, more prosperous future for both countries, which benefits us all.”

Zambia is a key producer of copper and also has critical mineral deposits such as cobalt, manganese and nickel. In 2022, the UK stressed the importance of supply chain diversification within a critical mineral strategy.

Cleverly is due to visit a Zambia copper mine and sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on critical minerals, which according to the UK, would “lay the foundation for further UK support for the responsible mining of copper, cobalt and other metals essential to the global clean energy transition.”

The UK has also agreed to strengthen collaboration on critical minerals with other countries, including the US, Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan.