WBA member Clarke Energy joins Theresa May on African trade delegation

Alex Marshall, Group Marketing & Compliance Director with WBA member Clarke Energy, recently spent a week travelling with UK Prime Minister Theresa May and the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT) on a trade delegation to South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya.

Clarke Energy has been operating in Africa since 2003, when the first gas engines were installed at a now-closed tyre manufacturing plant in Lagos. Clarke Energy has also worked on one of the highest-profile waste-to-energy projects in Kenya: the Gorge Farm Energy Park, developed by Tropical Power and opened in 2015, is the largest grid-connected biogas project in Africa. With a current lack of pipeline natural gas in the continent, one of the most important sectors for Clarke Energy is biological gases such as those from dumpsites, biogas plants or sewage works.

The delegation fit with raising awareness of Clarke Energy’s presence across Africa and its approach to corporate and social responsibility, corresponding with the UK government’s Export Strategy and Northern Powerhouse agenda.

The delegation included a cross-section of important companies, both major internationals and strategically important SMEs, as well as government ministers including George Hollingbery MP (Minister of State for Trade Policy at DIT), Alun Cairns MP (Secretary of State for Wales) and Harriet Baldwin MP (Minister of State for Africa and Minister of State for International Development). Also on the journey was Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Africa, Emma Wade Smith OBE.

Theresa May said ahead of the trip:

Clarke Energy’s success overseas is a perfect example of how Northern businesses are poised to take advantage of the growing opportunities in emerging markets and boost their international reach.

You can read Alex’s full blog on the delegation here.