Over 4m Nigerians benefit from £95m UK Propcom+ investment at COP27

BY MIKE OCHONMA

The UK foreign secretary, James Cleverly, was at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh Egypt yesterday, where he made a raft of UK adaptation-related announcements including a £95 million Propcom+ investment that is set to benefit at least 4 million Nigerians, including 2 million women, to increase productivity and adapt to the effects of climate change while at the same time reducing emissions.

Propcom+ builds on the UK government’s investment in agriculture through the Propcom Mai-karfi programme in Nigeria. This new £95 million Propcom+ programme is set to help address key barriers to sustainable agricultural development in Nigeria.

It will support the development of climate-resilient agricultural policies, actions, and investments that deliver nutrition, increase productivity, adapt and build resilience while reducing emissions, and protect and restore natural ecosystems through the adoption and scaling of practices such as heat and flood tolerant crop varieties and integrated soil fertility management.

The new Propcom+ programme involves supporting inclusive and resilient growth by promoting the progressive transformation of Nigeria’s rural economy. The new programme will build the capacity of small-scale farmers and rural communities in climate smart agriculture.

It will work with Nigeria’s vibrant private sector on agriculture to increase productivity, improve nutrition and food security, enhance climate resilience, pursue lower emissions and halt and reverse biodiversity loss, as well as helping to tackle some of Nigeria’s underlying drivers of conflict and insecurity.

Cleverly said the Glasgow Climate Pact gave the world the tools to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees and build a secure and sustainable future. Now is the time for all countries to step up their action on climate change and deliver the tangible change needed. The UK will continue to play a leading role in this mission.

“The funding we have announced will support countries which are facing the devastating impact of climate change, to adapt effectively,” he said.

Ben Llewellyn-Jones, UK deputy high commissioner in Lagos, said Nigeria is extremely vulnerable to climate change and land degradation.

“Climate risks are increasing, diminishing productive capacity, and contributing to worsening food insecurity. Farmers are on the front line and highly dependent on seasonal rainfall making them increasingly vulnerable to the changing and unpredictable climate,” Llewellyn-Jones said.

“Tackling climate change and biodiversity loss is a key UK international priority and we remain committed to supporting inclusive and climate resilient growth in Nigeria through the Propcom+ programme which will build on the successes and lessons from previous engagement and deliver on adaptation and resilience, and on nature for climate and people,” he said.

The UK says it is proud to support Nigeria’s climate, environment and energy ambitions in the leadup to COP27. Through programmes such as Propcom+, UK PACT (Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions), UKNIAF (UK-Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility), and FSD (Financial Sector Deepening) Africa, amongst others, the UK supports Nigeria on protecting and restoring nature, climate adaptation and resilience, promoting access to climate finance, clean energy, sustainable cities, infrastructure and transport.

Under the UK’s COP Presidency, almost all developed country climate finance providers made new, forward-looking climate finance commitments, with many doubling or even quadrupling support for developing countries to take climate action.