Funding commitments show UK as force for global good at G7 Leader Summit

During a global outreach session focused on Artificial Intelligence and Energy, and Africa and the Mediterranean, he will argue that this means reforming the international financial system to unlock the finance we need to accelerate progress against the Sustainable Development Goals, strengthening the voices of the most vulnerable at the top table of international politics. 

He will outline the importance of supporting countries in delivering their own clean energy transitions, and in harnessing the opportunities presented by AI.

To support this he will announce multi-year ODA funding which could exceed £100m, including several high-impact African projects and a £20m expansion of the AI for Development programme into Asia – building on £38m the UK is already investing in Africa.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:  

“The UK is committed to driving a more effective international system that improves lives for people across the globe and at home. 

“The green transition and the development of AI are key components of this, and the funding announced today will help ensure that these seismic changes happen in a way that works for all.”

The AI for Development programme, was launched at the Bletchley Park AI Safety Summit in November 2023 to fund safe and responsible AI projects for development around the world, beginning in Africa.  

The UK-Canada partnership, with support from the US, Australia, and other partners, will help ensure this ground-breaking technology is accessible to as many people as possible across the globe as well as deliver new AI labs to train the next generation of developers, policymakers and thought leaders, to drive responsible and inclusive AI policy. 

The funding outlined today includes £57m of ODA to the Climate Compatible Growth Programme, which will accelerate the roll-out of improved, climate resilient infrastructure in developing countries. It will provide even more countries across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia with the UK expertise needed to support improved, climate resilient infrastructure. 

The multi-year ODA funding will include up to £35 million into the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa will catalyse greater investment into sustainable infrastructure projects across the continent. The finance will help to bridge Africa’s infrastructure deficit, by accelerating investment at scale into new green infrastructure.  

Partnering with the World Bank and the EU to support African regional electricity transmission and strengthen climate resilience, £15m will contribute to the Zambian side of the Zambia-Tanzania Interconnector as part of a $300m project that will link the Southern and East African Power Pools. Leading with our development partners to invest in energy infrastructure in Zambia will aid the country to access clean energy. This is vital for poverty reduction and economic development.  

This investment, alongside a £300,000 contribution for mapping by the British Geological Survey in Angola, will be crucial in supporting the economic development along the length of the Lobito Corridor. 

The funding also includes £500,000 for an initiative to support planning, prioritisation and implementation of green infrastructure initiatives between the UK, the Government of Kenya and the wider G7. Focusing on transport projects selected from the Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative (AGII), this innovative partnership will lead to closer cooperation with the Kenyan Government on strategic infrastructure and investment and is the first partnership between the G7’s Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment and AGII.