The United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has announced plans to leverage £204 million in private sector investment to support Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
Adiya Ode, Country Representative for Propcom+, a UK-funded programme, revealed this during a stakeholders’ meeting in Katsina on Monday. She stated that Propcom+ is an eight-year climate-resilient agricultural market development initiative aimed at supporting smallholders and SMEs in conflict- and climate-affected regions.
Running from 2023 to 2030, the programme focuses on increasing productivity, enhancing food security, reducing emissions, and maintaining natural ecosystems. It aims to improve incomes and climate resilience for 3.79 million vulnerable Nigerians, with 50% of the beneficiaries being women. Over four million people are expected to adopt sustainable agricultural practices under the initiative, which has £95 million in funding.
Propcom+ is already active in Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Bauchi, Plateau, Gombe, and Adamawa, with Katsina recently approved as a beneficiary. The expansion follows discussions between Governor Dikko Radda and the FCDO.
The programme aims to address key challenges in Nigeria’s agricultural sector, including low productivity, conflicts over natural resources, and climate change impacts. It seeks to transform the rural economy by helping smallholders and entrepreneurs adopt sustainable farming practices.
Credit: NAN (Text Excluding Headline)
