Over 4m Nigerians to Benefit from UK’s £95m Investment Plan
Emma Okonji
The UK Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, has announced a new investment plan, which includes a £95 million Propcom+ investment that is set to benefit at least four million Nigerians, including two million women, to increase productivity and adapt to the effects of climate change while at the same time reducing emissions.
Cleverly made the announcement at the on-going COP27 meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, where solutions to issues about climate change in Africa are being discussed.
The new £95 million Propcom+ programme, which is the UK Government’s investment in agriculture through the Propcom Mai-karfi programme in Nigeria, is set to help address key barriers to sustainable agricultural development in Nigeria. It will support the development of climate-resilient agricultural policies, actions, and investments that deliver nutrition, increase productivity, adapt and build resilience while reducing emissions, and protect and restore natural ecosystems. For example, through the adoption and scaling of practices such as heat and flood tolerant crop varieties and integrated soil fertility management.
The new Propcom+ programme involves supporting inclusive and resilient growth by promoting the progressive transformation of Nigeria’s rural economy. The new programme will build the capacity of small-scale farmers and rural communities in climate smart agriculture. It will work with Nigeria’s vibrant private sector on agriculture to increase productivity, improve nutrition and food security, enhance climate resilience, pursue lower emissions and halt and reverse biodiversity loss, as well as helping to tackle some of Nigeria’s underlying drivers of conflict and insecurity.
According to Cleverly, “The Glasgow Climate Pact gave the world the tools to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees and build a secure and sustainable future. Now is the time for all countries to step up their action on climate change and deliver the tangible change needed. The UK will continue to play a leading role in this mission. The funding we have announced will support countries which are facing the devastating impact of climate change, to adapt effectively.”
UK Deputy High Commissioner Nigeria, Ben Llewellyn-Jones said: “Nigeria is extremely vulnerable to climate change and land degradation. Climate risks are increasing, diminishing productive capacity, and contributing to worsening food insecurity. Farmers are on the front line and highly dependent on seasonal rainfall making them increasingly vulnerable to the changing and unpredictable climate.”
