By Samuel Akpan
The United Kingdom has named seasoned diplomat Peter Vowles as its new High Commissioner to Nigeria, tasking him with bolstering ties in trade, security and development as he prepares to take up the post in September.
The British government disclosed the appointment in a statement released on Monday.
Vowles will succeed Richard Montgomery, who has served as the United Kingdom’s top representative in Nigeria since 2023.
“I am honoured to be appointed as British High Commissioner to Nigeria,” he said in a statement issued by the British High Commission in Abuja.
He noted the significance of the bilateral relationship, saying:“Nigeria is a country of immense importance to the United Kingdom, and I look forward to working closely with Nigerian partners to strengthen our relationship across trade, development and security.”
Vowles brings extensive experience from the African continent and other regions. He previously served as Britain’s ambassador to Zimbabwe, the country where he launched his career in education and development work.
In addition, he held executive positions with the now-defunct Department for International Development, which has been succeeded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, serving in Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He also led the governance and security team during his time in Afghanistan and worked as a health adviser for the World Bank in Bangladesh.
The new high commissioner is scheduled to assume his duties in the Nigerian capital in September.
Persecondnews reports that in a sign of resilient economic engagement, total trade in goods and services between the United Kingdom and Nigeria reached £7.6 billion in the four quarters to the end of 2025, up 10.8 per cent or £737 million from the previous year.
The United Kingdom recorded a healthy trade surplus of £3.3 billion with Nigeria during the period. UK exports to Nigeria stood at £5.5 billion (up 10.5 per cent), while imports from Nigeria reached £2.1 billion (up 11.3 per cent). Nigeria ranks as the UK’s 38th largest trading partner overall.
Services dominate UK exports to Nigeria, accounting for 67.7 per cent (£3.7 billion) of the total, compared with goods at 32.3 per cent (£1.8 billion).
This reflects Britain’s strength in professional, financial, and business services alongside tangible goods. On the import side, goods made up 71 per cent of what the UK buys from Nigeria.
Refined oil remains the single largest UK goods export to Nigeria at £1.1 billion, representing over 60 per cent of goods shipped.
Other notable exports include toilet and cleansing preparations (£70.2 million), textile fabrics (£45.7 million), general industrial machinery (£42.2 million), and beverages and tobacco (£34.6 million).
Nigeria’s exports to the UK continue to be heavily energy-driven. Crude oil topped the list at £719.2 million (nearly 48 per cent of goods imports), followed by refined oil (£514.3 million) and gas (£167.8 million).
Smaller but growing categories include coffee, tea and cocoa products (£17.9 million) and processed fertilisers (£17.2 million).