UK launches climate change programme targeting over 4 million Nigerians

The United Kingdom (UK) has announced the launch of its programme, Propcom+, supporting climate and growth by addressing environmental, social, and economic challenges in Nigeria’s food and land-use system.

A statement by the British High Commission in Abuja said the announcement was made on Wednesday by the UK’s Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly.

A £55 million contract and £2.89m grant was 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.

The programme aims to support more than 4 million people, 50% 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 benefitted poor women and men in Northern Nigeria,” the statement said.

Speaking after the event, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, said: “Tackling the effects of climate change and lowering emissions is a key priority for the UK government and we remain committed to building sustainable pro-poor climate-resilient growth in Nigeria through the new Propcom+ programme which will address environmental, social and economic challenges in the country’s food and land-use systems.

“It will do this by working through strategic market actors to increase the productivity of smallholder farmers, improve nutrition and food security, enhance climate resilience, pursue lower emissions, and protect and restore nature, while also tackling some of Nigeria’s underlying drivers of conflict and insecurity.”

The new programme, which kicked off in May 2023 is implemented by The Palladium Group.

The programme has initial focal states in Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, Edo, and Cross River where it will deliver climate-smart agricultural interventions to help the poor and climate vulnerable.

It will also work in some Southern Nigerian states to address issues around deforestation, to foster sustainable land-use management.