Today’s Mail on Sunday misleadingly reports that DFID is supporting a company, which seeks to help Chinese manufacturers move their factories to Africa and to “make profits for Chinese businesses”.
Through Invest Africa, DFID has supported a UK-registered company Made in Africa to help create a business environment for much-needed direct foreign investment into underfunded sectors in Africa, creating the jobs and boosting the growth which is lifting millions out of poverty.
Invest Africa does not give any preferential treatment to firms from China; it helps facilitate investment irrespective of country of origin. The programmes also does not involve investment in “Chinese takeaways”.
DFID has not accepted the Made in Africa workplans referred to in the article and the invoice referenced has not been seen by or submitted to DFID for payment and therefore we have not paid any of the quoted figures.
DFID does not give aid to China or Chinese businesses, and we do not fund the Centre for New Structural Economics at Peking University
Africa’s population is set to double by 2050 and as many as 18 million extra jobs a year will be needed to prevent the next generation falling further into poverty, potentially fuelling instability and mass migration with direct consequences for Britain.
DFID is working with African governments to help create jobs and raises incomes for the poorest through increased investment. A key element of the Invest Africa programme is improving conditions for workers and protecting their rights through improving the developmental impact and standards of foreign investors in Africa.
A DFID spokesperson said:
No country can defeat poverty and leave aid dependency behind without sustainable economic growth, jobs, trade and investment. Programmes like Invest Africa will attract foreign investment into sectors such as manufacturing, creating much needed jobs in some of the world’s poorest countries.