In her first major speech since becoming the UK's Minister for International Development and Africa, Kirsty McNeill argued that the future of international development depends on moving beyond traditional donor-recipient narratives and towards partnerships built on shared interests, shared challenges and shared prosperity.

Speaking at the New Economics Foundation at SOAS in London on 14 September, McNeill used personal stories, reflections from recent visits to Africa and examples from UK trade partnerships to make a broader case: that today's global challenges are universal, even when their impacts are not.

"This is not going to be a speech about development," McNeill told the audience. "And it isn't going to be a speech about Africa. It's going to be a speech about how we learn to live together."

The speech comes at a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty, climate pressures and debate over the role of aid and development cooperation. Rather than focusing on traditional development models, McNeill framed international engagement as a response to interconnected challenges that affect communities across the world.

Drawing on examples from Ethiopia, Scotland, Ghana, and communities across the UK, she argued that concerns about livelihoods, security, climate change and opportunity transcend national borders.

"The challenges we are dealing with in the 2020s are universal, but not uniform," she said.

That message was reflected throughout the speech, which linked climate impacts in Ethiopia with flooding and fires in the UK, and connected labour rights issues in global supply chains with employment insecurity at home.

A Shift from Aid to Partnership

A central theme of McNeill's address was the need to rethink how governments, development organisations and businesses talk about international development. For decades, development has often been framed around a wealthy world supporting a poorer one. McNeill suggested that approach no longer reflects today's realities.

"Power is more widely distributed," she said, noting that dozens of countries have graduated from aid and that growing economies across the Global South are increasingly shaping global markets, investment and policy discussions.
Instead, she called for a model based on partnership, where countries work together around shared interests and complementary strengths.

Nowhere, she suggested, is that shift more visible than in Africa. Referencing the UK's Africa Approach launched last year, McNeill said leaders across the continent have consistently asked for a more practical conversation focused on trade, investment and economic opportunity.

"That's what we mean by partnership," she said. "Not about one country having all the answers and another having all the questions."

Trade, Jobs and Inclusive Growth

Among the examples highlighted in the speech was the UK's new Growth Partnership with Ghana. "Already, garment firms in Ghana are supplying school uniforms to ASDA George in the UK, supporting hundreds of jobs in Ghana, most of them done by women, while helping British parents with the cost of getting their kids to school," said McNeill.

The example ties directly with work underway through Palladium's UK-funded Jobs and Economic Transformation (JET) Programme in Ghana, which partners with businesses to improve competitiveness, access new markets and create employment opportunities. Several of the businesses mentioned by McNeill received support from Ghana JET.

As Eugene Sangmortey, JET Team Leader explains, JET funding helped the garment manufacturer Maagrace improve efficiency in its factories. “The support brought in industrial engineering expertise for a set period, with practical on-site coaching and training for staff,” Sangmortey says. “As a result, factory efficiency rose from 35% to 65%. At the same time, women and girls gained stronger technical skills, while new opportunities opened up for them to supply clothing to export markets, including the UK.”

Ultimately, this growth meant Maagrace could hire more workers and expand its factory to meet rising demand. JET also helped connect Maagrace with British International Investment and Growth Investment Partners, unlocking £1.2 million in investment for the Ghanaian garment manufacturer.

“Maagrace's success is part of a broader effort to expand Ghanaian exports to the UK through the UK-Ghana Growth Partnership,” adds Sangmortey.

By citing Ghana's garment sector in a speech focused primarily on the future of partnership, McNeill highlighted a growing emphasis on economic development driven by trade and private-sector growth rather than aid alone.

Values and Interests

While much of the speech focused on economic partnership, McNeill rejected the idea that development cooperation should be justified solely through national interest. She argued that the UK's diplomatic, development and humanitarian capabilities should advance both practical interests and human values.

Examples included support for maritime security in the Horn of Africa, humanitarian assistance, global health programmes and efforts to address conflict and climate change.

Recalling a visit to a mobile health clinic in Ethiopia, McNeill described hearing "the two best sounds in the world" - children crying after receiving vaccinations and the healthy heartbeat of an unborn child during an ultrasound examination.

"I was thinking about what a precious gift life is and what a privilege it is to be able to support doctors and nurses to help children survive," she said. The message reflects a balancing act that is increasingly shaping development policy across donor countries: demonstrating economic returns and strategic value while maintaining a commitment to poverty reduction and humanitarian objectives.

Looking Ahead

For organisations working across development, business and government, the speech offers an early indication of how the UK's development agenda may evolve under McNeill's leadership. The language of aid remains present, but partnership, economic growth and mutual benefit featured more prominently.

For programmes such as Ghana JET, which operates at the intersection of private sector development, trade, and job creation, the themes outlined in the speech are familiar ones. The challenge now will be demonstrating how those partnerships translate into measurable outcomes for businesses, workers and communities.

“Anchored around investment mobilisation, trade diversification and market competitiveness, the UK-Ghana Growth Partnership provides a practical framework for delivering sustainable and inclusive economic growth, and the Ghana JET Programme has played a central role in shaping and operationalising this agenda,” Sangmortey explains.

As a key delivery mechanism for the partnership, JET is supporting the institutions, coordination structures and reforms required to achieve its objectives, while leveraging its resources and expertise to accelerate measurable economic impact for both Ghana and the UK.

As McNeill concluded, the future of development may be less about assistance delivered from one country to another and more about what can be achieved when governments, businesses and communities recognise their interests are increasingly intertwined.