How UK’s £37.3m Fund for Tech Entrepreneurs Will Boost Livelihoods in Nigeria, Other Developing Countries

Emma Okonji

Entrepreneurs from developing countries of the world, Nigeria inclusive are getting fresh support from the new United Kingdom funding initiative, valued at £37.3 million, earmarked for the development of innovative mobile technology to help tackle development challenges, the UK’s Development Minister, Andrew Mitchell has said.

Mitchell who announced the new funding initiative during his speech at the just concluded Mobile World Congress (MWC24) in Barcelona, Spain, said the previous funding through the innovation scheme helped to develop Artificial Intelligence (AI) to provide advice to farmers in remote areas, adding that the programme brings the mobile industry and development community together to boost livelihoods around the world.

“The new UK funding for innovative mobile phone technology will help change lives in developing countries around the world. Harnessing AI technology to provide real-time agricultural advice to farmers in Nigeria and pay-as-you-go solar powered fridges are just some of the ways UK-funded mobile technology is improving livelihoods globally,” Mitchell said. 

According to him, the UK is providing £37.3 million of new support for the Mobile for Development Programme, to help more people access mobile and digital technologies to find new opportunities and boost their livelihoods.

The programme, which the UK funds in partnership with UK-based mobile industry association, GSMA and the private sector, has already benefitted more than 100 million people and focuses on women and girls, climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience and scaling up innovative solutions, Mitchell further explained.

“Mobile technology has the potential to revolutionise the lives of the poor by helping to tackle the effects of climate change, create jobs and boost opportunities for women. 

“The Mobile for Development programme has already benefitted more than 100 million people, and the UK’s new announcement aims to up the ambition, reaching 110 million additional people, including 60 million women. Together the worlds of development and mobile tech giants can be a powerful force to unlock opportunities and prosperity, and meet the UN Global Goals,” Mitchell said.

UK funding has previously helped scale up a digital hub in Pakistan, BaKhabar Kissan (BKK), which provides accurate weather forecasting data to farmers to help them make critical farming decisions such as the timing of seed sowing, irrigation, and fertilisation. With the help of the programme, BKK has almost doubled users from 6.6 million to 12.4 million.

Commenting on the impact of the UK funding on developing communities of the world, President of the GSMA Mobile for Development Foundation, John Giusti, said: “For more than a decade, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the GSMA Mobile for Development Foundation have worked closely in partnership to drive socio-economic and climate impact for the most underserved populations through digital innovation, and to date our partnership has improved the lives of more than 127 million people.

“Today’s renewal of our partnership will further amplify our joint impact by leveraging the power of digital and emerging technologies to support innovation, improve access to opportunities for women, and tackle the effects of climate change for the most vulnerable.”