The Commonwealth Trade & Investment Summit was held at Mansion House in London on Monday, 20 April ’26. Speaking at the event, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Hon. Shirley Botchway, said:
It is a pleasure for me to join you once again at the Commonwealth Trade & Investment Summit.
It was my 1st external address as secretary-general, delivered at this summit last year. Botchway recalled making a clear commitment. It was to place trade & investment at the heart of the Commonwealth’s renewal.
She added that a year later, the commitment remains. The need for this commitment may be more urgent now than ever. This urgency is due to the world around us becoming more fragmented. Also, it’s more uncertain, with its rules more contested.
Global trade is strained by unilateralism, with conflict at its helm, leading to increased tensions between nations and disruptions in established trade agreements.
There is a shift in supply chains.
Rules are presently being rewritten.
Trust, which is so essential in economic cooperation, is also under pressure due to increasing competition and changing market dynamics that challenge established relationships.
Simultaneously, growth appears as elusive as ever before for our member countries. This puts at risk the quality of life, besides the social mobility & social protection of the 2.7 billion people. In such an environment, the rationale for a new Commonwealth becomes even stronger.
What is offered is unique: a connection in a fragmented world, trust in an uncertain system, and a platform for practical cooperation that has been created on shared values besides shared systems and deep human ties.
These become the Commonwealth Advantage.
Trade among the forum’s member countries is, on average, 21% cheaper. As such, investment flows remain stronger. So, across 56 nations, the Commonwealth represents a market of 2.7 billion people. They are young, dynamic & full of potential. Our purpose would be to transform that advantage into resilience. We aim to transform that advantage into opportunities and also achieve tangible outcomes for our people.
Such a strategy would be viable only if the approach to opportunity moves with new thinking and high ambition.
