Irish exporters bidding for business in Africa will be offered help by Irish ambassadors and State agencies if they accept that they must behave ethically, according to Minister of State for International Development and Trade Joe Costello said yesterday.

“We [the State] have something to offer. We will open doors for them. We will provide them with resources and facilities. We will make arrangements for them to meet people and then we will expect them to continue the good reputation that Ireland has in Africa.”

Mr Costello yesterday met London-based African ambassadors accredited to Ireland at the Irish Embassy in London, following meetings in Dublin with locally accredited ambassadors and African-based Irish diplomats last week in Malawi.

Meetings have already been held with the Irish Exporters Association and another will take place next week with companies keen to do business in one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, Mr Costello told The Irish Times.The Minister of State also insisted that Ireland would not link development aid with business deals, as most countries did.