Nicholas Westcott

Nick Westcott was Director of the Royal African Society from 2017 to 2023. Following a PhD in African History at Cambridge University, he joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1982 and served in Brussels, Washington, Tanzania, and latterly as British High Commissioner to Ghana and Ambassador to Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo and Niger (2008—2011).

In the FCO, he dealt with a wide range of issues including the EU, the Maastricht treaty negotiations, the Elgin Marbles, international economic issues including G8 summits, and for five years was the FCO's Chief Information Officer. From 2011 to 2017 he worked at the European Union in Brussels, firstly as Managing Director for Africa and then as MD for the Middle East and North Africa in the EU's External Action Service.

He has published books on diplomacy: How to be a Diplomat (Routledge, 2025); and on African development: Imperialism and Development: the East African Groundnut Scheme and its legacy (James Currey, 2020). He serves on the Editorial Board of African Affairs, on the Board of the African Center for Economic Transformation, and is a member of Chatham House and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Historical Society.

His research interests include:
African contemporary politics and the state in Africa, on which he is researching a publication
East African history, especially Tanzania
Imperialism: perceptions and practice
Middle Eastern politics, including Syria and the Gulf
British foreign policy and the impact of Brexit
Diplomacy in theory and practice (currently preparing a book on the subject)