UK to aid Nigeria in implementing sustainable food security and agricultural systems

01 Aug 2023 --- The UK’s foreign secretary, James Cleverly, is pledging to help make Nigeria’s agriculture sector more resilient to climate change. The announcement of funding will be made today in Lagos – the country’s largest city – and tomorrow in the nation’s capital, Abuja, during the foreign secretary’s visit to the country.

The support is estimated to benefit over four million people by helping them develop better farming practices and reduce harmful carbon emissions. With more than two-thirds of Nigeria’s population depending on agriculture for employment, the UK’s support aims to boost productivity and resilience in the agricultural sector and transform critical agriculture and food systems.

“Nigeria has a booming population and the largest economy in Africa,” says Cleverly. “There is huge potential for an even closer partnership between UK and Nigerian businesses which will be of mutual benefit to both countries.”

Earlier this year, Nigeria’s VP, Yemi Osinbajo, revealed that the country would face a “generation of stunted adults” if swift action was not taken to alleviate the country’s nutrition deficits.The UK’s foreign secretary says that Nigeria has a growing population and the largest economy in Africa.

Growing insecurity
According to The World Bank’s latest Food Security Update, Nigeria and several other countries in West Africa are beginning to experience “crisis levels” of food insecurity. Forecasters anticipate that until September 2023, there will be ongoing challenges in parts of the country related to food shortages and restricted access to markets and humanitarian assistance.

During the period from June to August 2023, it is estimated that over 42 million individuals in West Africa experienced a food crisis or worse. To combat this situation, during his visit to Lagos, Cleverly will announce a £10 million (US$12.9 million) UK-backed facility in partnership with finance company InfraCredit.

According to Cleverly’s office, the facility will unlock funding for sustainable and climate-friendly infrastructure development projects, including providing renewable energy services and green housing in urban areas.

In Abuja, he is expected to announce a £55 million (US$70.5 million) Propcom+ contract and a £2.89 million (US$3.7 million) grant to support the transformation of Nigeria’s rural economy and promote sustainable agricultural practices. This is the first contract to be signed as part of the £95 million (US$121.8 million) Propcom+ program announced last year at COP27.

These initiatives are predicted to increase productivity and resilience among small-scale farmers and rural communities, while reducing carbon emissions and protecting natural ecosystems.The World Bank’s recent report reveals that many West Africa nations are beginning to experience “crisis levels of food insecurity.”

“Together we are focussing on the future, putting in place green, clean measures, both in agriculture and infrastructure development, to create climate-resilient solutions for the global challenges we all face today and will increasingly face in the years to come,” Cleverly underscores.

Ongoing support
Cleverly will also hold discussions with Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Nigeria’s national security advisor, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. The talks will focus on increasing bilateral trade and investment, economic development, regional issues and strengthening security cooperation.

The foreign secretary’s office highlights that the UK government funding has helped vulnerable communities in the North-East of Nigeria, where over four million people are facing food insecurity, and two million children under five are acutely malnourished.

According to the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s (FCDO) development tracker, 14.2 million people – including children under five, adolescent girls and women of childbearing age – in the country of Nigeria have received nutrition-related interventions through the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID).

DFID, a part of the FCDO, further reveals that 7.52 million people in Nigeria have sustainable access to clean water and 1.16 million Nigerians have received humanitarian assistance in the form of cash or voucher transfers and food aid through DFID and FCDO support.

Furthermore, recent research from Central European University in Vienna, Austria, used data from the World Food Programme and found that food insecurity could remain an issue in West Africa for the next 50 years.

Edited by William Bradford Nichols