The UK government has announced the launch of a £95 million Propcom+ international climate finance project intended to help vulnerable Nigerians adapt to the effects of climate change.
Recall that In November 2022, at COP27 in Egypt, James Cleverly, UK’s foreign minister, said that the government will provide a £95 million investment to support the development of climate-resilient agriculture programmes in Nigeria.
In a statement on Wednesday, the UK high commission was quoted as saying that the fund was officially launched with a £55 million contract and £2.89 million grant announced as part of the overall investment.
According to the statement, the project which will build on the Propcom Mai-karfi programme which ended in March 2022, will raise investments in agriculture and support four million people, most of whom will be women, “to adopt and scale sustainable agricultural practices that increase productivity and climate resilience”.
The new practice is also expected to help in reducing emissions and protecting natural ecosystems.
“UK’s foreign secretary, James Cleverly, has officially announced the launch of its programme, Propcom+ supporting climate and growth by addressing environmental, social, and economic challenges in the country’s food and land-use system,” the statement read.
The statement further read that “a £55 million contract and £2.89m grant were announced, as part of the £95m Propcom+ eight-year UK international climate finance programme aimed at supporting climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture and forestry that benefits people, climate, and nature,”.
Also, the programme aims to support more than four million people, 50 percent of whom will be women, to adopt and scale sustainable agricultural practices that increase productivity and climate resilience while reducing emissions and protecting natural ecosystems.
“Propcom+ builds on the UK government’s investment in agriculture through the Propcom Mai-karfi programme which ended in March 2022 after supporting over 1.25 million persons with improved incomes through key market reforms and policies that benefited poor women and men in Northern Nigeria, “according to the statement.
In the statement, Cleverly also said that the UK support will also help to unlock $210 million of financing from the African Development Bank (AFDB) for participating Nigerian states for the development of critical infrastructure and related activities under the special agro-industrial processing zones (SAPZ) programme.
Story was adapted from theCable.
