Prince William meets African leaders ahead of hosting first solo reception

The Duke of Cambridge has been pictured welcoming Rwandan president Paul Kagame and Ghanaian president Nana Akufo-Addo to Buckingham Palace today.

It is the first time Prince William has been asked to host a major state occasion alone.

He was photographed smiling at the reception at Buckingham Palace as he greeted the two leaders.

His brother Prince Harry had met other African leaders at the UK-Africa summit in Greenwich earlier today, but was not present at the palace.

Along with Boris Johnson, the Duke of Sussex touted the UK as an ideal business partner for Africa the UK prepares for post-Brexit dealings with the world.

However, far fewer of Africa’s 54 heads of state or government were attending the first UK-Africa Investment Summit than the dozens who attended the first Russia-Africa summit last year or the gatherings China regularly holds.

Johnson told attendees the conference ‘is long overdue.’ He acknowledged that British officials and companies need to work to convince African nations to do business with the U.K.

‘We have no divine right to that business,’ he said. ‘This is a competitive world. You have may suitors’ – especially China and Russia.

The UK is due to leave the European Union on January 31, and Johnson said the UK would become ‘a global free trading nation’ after Brexit. He pledged that the post-Brexit immigration system would ‘put people before passports,’ acknowledging a common frustration across Africa.

Johnson stressed that he had visited about a dozen African countries when he was British foreign secretary between 2017 and 2019. He said ‘billions of pounds worth of deals’ would be sealed at Monday’s summit, including major clean-energy projects.

Prince Harry, who has longstanding ties to Africa and is involved with conservation and youth charities on the continent, attended the conference to boost Britain’s cause, despite the swirling drama over his decision to break from official royal duties.

Britain said 16 African leaders were attending Monday’s summit in London, including the leaders of Nigeria, Congo, Kenya, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, Malawi, Mozambique, Ivory Coast, Uganda and Rwanda.

‘The wealth of Africa is undisputed,’ said Ghana’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo, noting that one in four people in the world in 2050 will be African.