UK Appoints Peter Vowles as High Commissioner to Nigeria

June 16, 2026

Mintesinot Nigussie

The United Kingdom has appointed Peter Vowles as its next High Commissioner to Nigeria, succeeding Richard Montgomery, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) announced.

Vowles, who currently serves as the UK's Ambassador to Zimbabwe, is expected to assume the role in September 2026.

The appointment places a career development and diplomacy specialist at the helm of one of Britain's most significant diplomatic missions in Africa.

Vowles has served as Ambassador to Zimbabwe since 2023. Before that, he was Transformation Director at the FCDO and previously served as the UK's Ambassador to Myanmar between 2021 and 2022.

His career spans more than three decades across diplomacy, international development, governance and public health. He held several senior positions within the former Department for International Development (DFID), including Director for Asia, the Caribbean and Overseas Territories, Country Director for Kenya, and Deputy Country Director in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Earlier assignments included roles in India, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, where he worked on health, development and international partnership programmes.

Before joining DFID in 2006, Vowles worked with international development organisations, the World Bank and the United Kingdom's National Health Service.

He began his career in Zimbabwe as a teacher with the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture between 1992 and 1993 before returning to the country in later years to work in development and diplomatic roles.

Nigeria is one of the United Kingdom's largest diplomatic and economic partners in Africa, with strong links in trade, investment, security cooperation and development.