The issues raised in the Hon Member's questions are among the most important humanitarian and development priorities for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), but our work on them cannot adequately be summarised in the answer to one parliamentary question. However, the Hon Member can find regular updates about that work by following the FCDO news feed on GOV.UK, and by continuing to attend our statements, oral questions sessions and urgent question responses in the House.

It is estimated that access to safely managed water services in Sub-Saharan Africa increased from 30 per cent in 2020 to 32 per cent in 2024, supported by overseas development assistance from the UK, other individual countries, and multilateral organisations, as well as the vital work of many NGOs.

At the same time, the population in sub-Saharan Africa increased from 1,094 billion to 1,391 billion. This means that an estimated 117 million additional people gained access to safely managed drinking water services over this period.

I refer the Hon Member to the written ministerial statement published on 15 December 2025 (HCWS1168).

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 26 February 2025 to Question 30979.

The promotion of economic growth, investment and trade is a key priority for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and forms a regular and essential part of our engagement with counterparts across the world, including in Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, Australia and Canada.

The UK champions Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, both in sub-Saharan Africa and across the world. On 8 July, the UK's Special Envoy for Religious Freedom, David Smith MP, set out the Government's new strategy on FoRB, providing a framework for engagement with other countries, and describing the links between the protection of FoRB and other goals including the prevention of conflict. As part of this strategy, the UK continues to support FoRB on the international stage, through our position in the United Nations, G7 and Article 18 Alliance.

The UK is committed to championing Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all, and we recognise the issue of persecution of Christians globally on account of their faith, alongside other groups. We continue to seek opportunities to highlight these issues through the UN, G7 and as a member of the Article 18 Alliance, ensuring joint international action on FoRB, including in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Foreign Secretary's future travel plans will be set out in the normal way in due course.

The Government monitors all such matters closely, but continues to develop its foreign policy objectives and priorities in different parts of the world according to our shared interests and values, irrespective of the activities of other countries.

The Foreign Secretary met a number of her overseas counterparts on her visit to the United Nations General Assembly, including at the meeting of the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers on 22 September, and will have further such engagement over the coming weeks and months.

We are committed to our trading relationships across the continent of Africa, founded on partnerships and respect, to deliver mutual long-term benefit. Recent UK-Africa consultations demonstrated that African partners want increased trade with countries like the UK, and within the continent. Trade has the potential to drive growth. The UK provides duty-free, or virtually duty-free, market access for goods from 48 countries in Africa through our Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) and network of Economic Partnership Agreements. The UK also continues to support African partners to boost intra-African trade and prosperity through the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement.

The UK remains committed to global health. Strong, national health systems are the foundation for all aspects of health, from essential childhood immunisation to global health security. We align investments behind the priorities of partner countries. In Nigeria, the LAFIYA-UK programme strengthens systems to improve health and nutrition services. The proportion of UK aid spent on health from the bilateral budget was 11 per cent in 2022-23 and 2023-24, and 19 per cent in 2024-25. In Ghana, our Partnership Beyond Aid and Leave No One Behind programmes have improved quality, efficiency and resilience in the health system, and the inclusion of vulnerable and marginalised groups. The proportion of UK aid spent on health from the bilateral budget was 23 per cent in 2022-23, 30 per cent in 2023-2024, and 19 per cent in 2024-2025. The UK also provides significant support to strengthening the global health workforce through multilateral investments such as the World Health Organisation, World Bank and the Global Health Initiatives, who support in-service clinical training for health workers. Our multilateral contribution on global health totalled £3.1 billion in 2021-2023 and the Department of Health and Social Care's Global Health Workforce Programme (£15 million from 2023-2026) supports the development of the health workforce in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya.

We hugely value our health and social care workers from overseas who work tirelessly to provide the best possible care and enhance our health and care workforce with their valuable skills, experience, and expertise.

No assessment has been made of the savings to the taxpayer resulting from the recruitment of doctors and clinicians trained in Nigeria, Ghana, and other Sub-Saharan African countries. There is also no plan to reimburse the Governments of those countries for the cost of training doctors and clinicians currently working in the National Health Service.

Information on the proportion of NHS doctors and clinicians recruited from overseas in the past three years from Nigeria, Ghana, and other Sub-Saharan African countries is not collected centrally, and no assessment has been made of the impact of such recruitment on the healthcare systems of those countries.

We hugely value our health and social care workers from overseas who work tirelessly to provide the best possible care and enhance our health and care workforce with their valuable skills, experience, and expertise.

No assessment has been made of the savings to the taxpayer resulting from the recruitment of doctors and clinicians trained in Nigeria, Ghana, and other Sub-Saharan African countries. There is also no plan to reimburse the Governments of those countries for the cost of training doctors and clinicians currently working in the National Health Service.

Information on the proportion of NHS doctors and clinicians recruited from overseas in the past three years from Nigeria, Ghana, and other Sub-Saharan African countries is not collected centrally, and no assessment has been made of the impact of such recruitment on the healthcare systems of those countries.

We hugely value our health and social care workers from overseas who work tirelessly to provide the best possible care and enhance our health and care workforce with their valuable skills, experience, and expertise.

No assessment has been made of the savings to the taxpayer resulting from the recruitment of doctors and clinicians trained in Nigeria, Ghana, and other Sub-Saharan African countries. There is also no plan to reimburse the Governments of those countries for the cost of training doctors and clinicians currently working in the National Health Service.

Information on the proportion of NHS doctors and clinicians recruited from overseas in the past three years from Nigeria, Ghana, and other Sub-Saharan African countries is not collected centrally, and no assessment has been made of the impact of such recruitment on the healthcare systems of those countries.

The UK Government through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is a long-term supporter of Product Development Partnerships to develop novel health technologies for diseases where commercial markets fail. This support has led to the development of diagnostics for sleeping sickness, malaria, tuberculosis and COVID-19. Additionally, the UK's current £1 billion pledge to the Global Fund supports testing, treatment, and prevention initiatives across Sub-Saharan Africa and strengthens health systems, helping countries prevent, prepare for, and respond to pandemics. Programmes supported by the Global Fund performed 335 million malaria tests in 2023. Through our £1.65 billion investment in Gavi, the vaccine alliance from 2021-25, the UK is supporting the vaccination of 300 million children, and the procurement and distribution of yellow fever and cholera diagnostic tests. Finally, our £95 million Tackling Deadly Diseases in Africa programme (TDDAP) is strengthening national public health surveillance and laboratory systems to better detect and respond to public health threats and outbreaks in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda and DRC.

We are closely monitoring developments and assessing the implications of the US funding cuts across all humanitarian and development sectors, including joint and coordinated programming.

The Department funded National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds research and research infrastructure, which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research, including clinical research on prostate cancer. NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority.

These investments are pivotal towards efforts to improve cancer prevention, treatment, and outcomes. The TRANSFORM trial is an important example of this. On 19 November 2023, the Government and Prostate Cancer UK announced the £42 million TRANSFORM screening trial to find the best way to screen men for prostate cancer, to find it before it becomes advanced and harder to treat.

Prostate Cancer UK is leading the development of the trial with the Government contributing £16 million through the Department. One of the aims of the trial is to address some of the inequalities that exist in prostate cancer diagnosis today. For example, one in four black men will develop prostate cancer, double the risk of other men, and often at a younger age. The trial will ensure that at least 10% of the men who are invited to participate in the trial are black.

The NIHR provides an online service called Be Part of Research, which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest. This makes it easier for people to find and take part in health and care research that is relevant to them.

The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome applications for research into any aspect of human health, including prostate cancer.