UK To Support Nigeria In Boosting Her Agricultural Sector
The United Kingdom (UK) has announced a new package of support to make Nigeria’s agriculture sector more climate resilient.
The new funding, according to the UK government, will help boost the agricultural sector’s productivity and resilience to the impacts of climate change, transforming the nation’s critical agriculture and food systems for the benefit of people, climate and nature.
This comes on the second leg of the Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly’s three-country visit to Africa, Nigeria inclusive, where he is prioritising future-focused, mutually beneficial relationships.
“UK support will help to develop heat and flood tolerant crops and increase soil fertility. New support will help grow the UK’s economy by alleviating some of the agricultural trade barriers to UK imports.”
Cleverly is expected to announce a £55 Propcom+ contract, a UK International Climate Finance programme in Abuja, which aims to support the transformation of Nigeria’s rural economy, and a £2.89m grant, which will support more than four million people across Nigeria to adopt and scale up sustainable agricultural practices.
This includes, improving the health of animals, making crops more resilient, and introducing cleaner cooking practices. This in turn will help increase productivity, capacity and resilience among small-scale farmers and rural communities across Nigeria, while reducing carbon emissions and protecting natural ecosystems.
“Nigeria has a booming population and the largest economy in Africa – there is huge potential for an even closer partnership between UK-and Nigerian businesses, which will be of mutual benefit to both countries.
“Together we are focusing 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.”
Source: https://guardian.ng/features/uk-pledges-support-to-boost-agricultural-sector/