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.

Economies in the regions where we invest are likely to be significantly damaged by the impact of COVID-19. Our goal, to support the economic stability that that will improve the lives of millions of people in Africa and South Asia, has never been more important.

We are following the guidelines and protocols of the British Government and working closely with our colleagues across the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office 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

Our response to the COVID-19 pandemic has three areas of focus: ‘preserve’, ‘strengthen’ and ‘rebuild’.

Preserve: supporting our partners to safeguard impact and weather the crisis

British International Investment has investments in over 1,200 companies in South Asia and Africa employing over 800,000 people. Our first priority is to support our current investee businesses who have been affected by this global crisis, whether that’s through providing finance or advice.

Strengthen: scaling-up our response to the economic and health challenges of the crisis

Beyond assisting our current investees, we are also looking at how we can extend our support – whether that’s working with local banks to provide the working capital that businesses need, or exploring investments that can scale up access to healthcare and basic services.

Rebuild: a long-term partner to the countries where we invest

This pandemic will take many months to play out and its effects will be felt long after in the countries where we invest. We know that finance and support from institutions like British International Investment will be critical to the rebuilding process. We will stand firm with our investee companies – and support the countries where they operate – through the pandemic and beyond to recovery and prosperity.

British International Investment remains open for business

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

You can find the full details of our response here in our COVID-19 briefing document.

This page will be updated regularly as the COVID-19 pandemic develops