By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, James Cleverly on Tuesday arrived Nigeria in the second leg of his three-nation tour in Africa after he met with authorities in Ghana on Monday.
Cleverly announced a £10 million UK-backed facility, in partnership with InfraCredit which will serve as a “package of support” to make agriculture more resilient to climate change.
The move he said, is to “unlock funding for sustainable and climate-friendly infrastructure development projects, such as providing renewable energy services to homes in urban areas, as well as green housing”.
He also announced a £55 million Propcom+ Contract, which is part of the UK International Climate Finance program. This contract aims to support the transformation of Nigeria’s rural economy.
Additionally, a £2.89 million grant seeking to support over four million people across Nigeria in adopting and scaling up sustainable agricultural practices was also announced.
The focus will be improving animal health, making crops more resilient, and introducing cleaner cooking practices.
The goal according to UK government is to increase productivity, capacity, and resilience among small-scale farmers and rural communities while reducing carbon emissions and protecting natural ecosystems.
Nigeria’s North-East region faces a severe food insecurity crisis, with over four million people at risk and two million children under five being acutely malnourished, the UK government says.
The funding aims to protect these vulnerable communities, build resilience to the ongoing food shortage crisis, and prevent famine.
The Foreign Secretary will meet with the Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu on Wednesday to strengthen bilateral relations.
The discussions will centre on the UK-Nigeria partnership and key common priorities, including increasing bilateral trade and investment, economic development, regional issues, and strengthened security cooperation.
