Florence Eshalomi, a Nigerian politician, has been appointed as the United Kingdom’s Trade Envoy to Nigeria, becoming the second Nigerian to hold this prestigious position. Helen Grant was the first to be appointed. The announcement was made by Eshalomi on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday.
“It is an honour to have been appointed as the United Kingdom’s Trade Envoy to Nigeria,” Eshalomi said. “I’m looking forward to building on my close ties with Nigeria to promote a strong and flourishing economic relationship between our two great nations.”
Eshalomi further emphasized the importance of fostering growth opportunities: “I am looking forward to building on the UK’s relationship with Nigeria, to help explore shared growth and opportunities for both countries,” she added.
The UK’s Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds, also commented on the appointment of 32 new trade envoys, highlighting the role of trade and investment in economic growth. “I’ve launched a new team of Trade Envoys, who will use their experience, expertise, and knowledge to unlock new markets around the world for British businesses, drumming up investment into the UK and ultimately driving economic growth,” Reynolds stated.
At 44, Eshalomi, who was first elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Vauxhall in 2019, succeeded Kate Hoey. She was re-elected in 2024 for the newly formed Vauxhall and Camberwell Green constituency. A member of the Labour and Cooperative parties, Eshalomi also served as a London Assembly Member (AM) for Lambeth and Southwark from 2016 to 2021.
Her work in parliament has focused on transport, housing, and equality, and she currently serves as chair of the Housing, Communities, and Local Government Committee. Eshalomi holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) honours in Political and International Studies with Law from Middlesex University.
Her career began at 16 when she worked at Sainsbury’s before moving into public affairs and campaigning, holding roles such as a policy officer in local government and a regional organiser for the Labour Party during the 2005 general election.
