The United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, FCDO, is set to channel £204 million in private sector finance and investment into Nigeria’s agriculture sector.
Mrs. Adiya Ode, Country Representative for Propcom+, a UK-funded programme, shared this development in Katsina during a stakeholders’ meeting on Monday.
Propcom+ is an eight-year initiative designed to support small–scale farmers and small-scale entrepreneurs in conflict- and climate-affected regions. Running from 2023 to 2030, the programme focuses on increasing productivity, improving nutrition and food security, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and protecting natural ecosystems.
“We are working to improve resilience for smallholders and entrepreneurs, ensuring sustainable agriculture and forestry that benefits people, the climate, and nature,” Ode said.
The programme aims to boost the incomes and climate resilience of 3.79 million poor and vulnerable Nigerians, with women making up 50% of the beneficiaries. Over four million people are expected to adopt sustainable agricultural practices under its framework.
With an allocation of £95 million, Propcom+ is already active in Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Bauchi, Plateau, Gombe, and Adamawa. Katsina has now been approved as a beneficiary following discussions between Governor Dikko Radda and the FCDO.
During the stakeholders’ meeting, representatives from farming communities, businesses, processors, academics, and women’s groups endorsed the programme’s implementation in the state. Further engagements with government officials will follow to identify challenges and solutions for effective execution.
Propcom+ focuses on tackling three major challenges in Nigeria’s rural economy: low agricultural productivity, conflict over natural resources, and the impact of climate change. By addressing these issues, the initiative seeks to transform rural livelihoods, ensuring sustainable growth and poverty reduction.
NAN
