A statement on COVID-19

At this incredibly difficult time, our focus as a business is to safeguard the wellbeing of everyone involved with our investee companies, as well as our own staff.

We are following the guidelines and protocols of the British government and working closely with our colleagues across the Department for International Development as the pandemic develops. In the countries where we operate, we are following the advice of national governments and that of the British Embassies / High Commissions to stay up to date with the rapidly changing situations on the ground.

Our response

In total, British International Investment has investments in over 1,200 companies in South Asia and Africa.

We have significantly increased our level of communication with our investee companies and fund managers to ensure that we’re able to provide as much support as we can. We are identifying companies, projects and funds most affected by COVID-19 to establish where we can assist, for example because they are in a severely affected sector, such as logistics.

We are committed to ensuring our investee companies are able to support their employees on an ongoing basis should their activities be disrupted by the pandemic. This includes helping companies put in place mitigation strategies and easing liquidity issues if they arise.

We have put together a summary of guidance and good practice adopted by some of our portfolio companies and others on COVID-19. It provides guidance on building company resilience to the impact of the virus, and on staff health and safety. You can find it here.

British International Investment remains open for business

Economies in Africa and South Asia are likely to be significantly damaged by the impact of Coronavirus. Therefore British International Investment’s mission to bring about positive environmental, economic and social change in countries that most need development finance has never been more important.

Our staff across the world are being empowered to work remotely rather than their offices, but we remain open for business.