UK to Provide £57.9 M Support Package for Climate-Resilient Agriculture in Nigeria

British Foreign Minister James Cleverly is set to announce a new package of support aimed at making Nigeria’s agriculture sector more climate-resilient during his visit to the African country this week.

The support includes a 55 million-pound contract to help transform Nigeria’s rural economy and a 2.9 million-pound grant to assist more than 4 million people in adopting and scaling up sustainable agricultural practices.

According to Cleverly’s office, the focus is on implementing green and clean measures in agriculture and infrastructure development to create climate-resilient solutions to global challenges.

Nigeria, with a majority of its population residing in rural areas, faces the harsh impacts of climate change, including drought and flooding, which significantly affect livelihoods.

The newly pledged funding aims to enhance productivity and resilience in Nigeria’s agriculture sector, particularly in the face of climate change. The support will also contribute to the development of heat- and flood-tolerant crops, as well as techniques to increase soil fertility.

In addition to the aid for agriculture, Cleverly will announce a 10 million-pound facility designed to provide funding for climate-friendly infrastructure projects in the country. This move comes after Nigeria experienced devastating floods last year, resulting in more than 600 fatalities and over a million people being displaced.

The floods washed away crops, exacerbating an existing food crisis and pushing millions into food poverty over the past three years, as reported by international aid groups.

With this new financial support from the British government, Nigeria aims to build a more climate-resilient agriculture sector, improve food security, and mitigate the devastating impacts of climate change on vulnerable rural communities. Cleverly’s visit to Nigeria is expected to strengthen bilateral cooperation and address the pressing challenges posed by climate change in the region.

“The focus is on implementing green and clean measures in agriculture and infrastructure development to create climate-resilient solutions to global challenges.”