The United Kingdom has appointed Vicky Seymour as the new British Deputy High Commissioner to Abuja, Nigeria.
The British High Commission in Nigeria officially welcomed Seymour to the role, describing her arrival as the start of a new chapter in strengthening the longstanding UK-Nigeria partnership.
Seymour is an experienced career diplomat with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). Prior to this appointment, she served as Head of the East Africa Department at the FCDO (in a job-share arrangement) from April 2023. She previously headed the FCDO’s Trade Diplomacy Department and was the UK’s Development Director in Mozambique from August 2019 to January 2022.
Her earlier roles include Deputy Head of the Department for International Development (DFID) in Uganda, Deputy Head of the FCO/DFID North Africa Joint Unit, and Private Secretary to the joint FCO/DFID Africa Minister. She has also held overseas postings in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Afghanistan, with significant experience in building stability, climate change, conflict, humanitarian affairs, and cross-government coordination.
Before joining the civil service in 2004, Seymour worked in the not-for-profit sector on asylum and refugee issues, with a particular focus on remittances. She holds a degree in History and a Master of Science in Development Management.
The British High Commission stated that it looks forward to working with Seymour as she takes up her responsibilities in Abuja, collaborating with colleagues across the UK’s Nigeria network to deepen bilateral ties in areas including trade, development, security, and regional cooperation.