Tag: Foreign Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 3 August 2023.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced that over £38 million of UK humanitarian assistance has saved lives of conflict-affected people in North-East Nigeria.

The United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said that over £38 million of UK humanitarian assistance has saved the lives of vulnerable, conflict-affected people in North-East Nigeria – including women and girls. The Foreign Secretary made these remarks whilst visiting the United Nations’ Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) in Abuja, meeting UNHAS staff.

The UN estimates that over 8 million people in North-East Nigeria urgently require life-saving humanitarian assistance due to protracted conflict and crisis in the Lake Chad Basin region.

Earlier this year, the UN launched a special humanitarian appeal to prevent famine and provide life-saving assistance in North-East Nigeria over the critical ‘lean season’ months (June to August). Also, the Nigerian government recently declared a ‘state of emergency’ on food insecurity across the country.

The UK’s humanitarian assistance has been directly responding to these urgent calls for action, in partnership with the Nigerian people and its government.

Over the last 12 months, the UK has provided over £38 million of humanitarian assistance in North-East Nigeria. This funding is helping to protect people, build their resilience to the ongoing crisis, and prevent famine in this extremely food-insecure region.

During his visit to UNHAS – one of several UK humanitarian partners in Nigeria – the Foreign Secretary heard directly from aid workers and government representatives responding to the crisis, including on how UK International Development is delivering assistance to people who need it most.

The Foreign Secretary was accompanied by Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development. This ministry is responsible for coordination of the Federal Government’s humanitarian response and aligning stakeholder responses.

The Foreign Secretary was also accompanied by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Matthias Schmale; the Deputy Country Representative of UN World Food Programme Guy Adoua; Country Representative of UNICEF Cristian Munduate; ICRC’s Head of Delegation in Nigeria Yann Bonzon; and Trond Jens, Head of Office of OCHA in Nigeria.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, said:

I am very proud of the UK’s humanitarian partnerships in North-East Nigeria. The £38 million we have contributed over the last 12 months is saving the lives of vulnerable people, including women and girls, who are demonstrating extraordinary resilience in the face of this protracted crisis. We will continue to work with the new Nigerian government and other partners to support North-East Nigeria so the whole country can reach its potential. The whole international community must support these efforts.

UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Matthias Schmale, said:

On behalf of the humanitarian community, I am deeply grateful for the £38 million contribution of the UK for humanitarian action in the North-East, which is contributing to giving countless people and, notably vulnerable women and children, a second chance. We are facing further funding challenges and are hoping that partners will step up their support to prevent further deterioration of the dramatic food insecurity and malnutrition situation.

The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, said:

We are keen to intensify cooperation with the UK government, particularly on increasing coordination between our new ministry and other ministries and partners across the humanitarian response. We particularly appreciate the UK’s humanitarian assistance because it is not only financial, but also based on strong coordination, which we are keen to develop further.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 3 August 2023.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced a £55 million Propcom+ contract and £2.89 million grant, which aims to support the transformation of Nigeria’s rural economy.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced the launch of its Propcom+ programme supporting climate and growth by addressing environmental, social, and economic challenges in the country’s food and land-use system.

A £55 million contract and £2.89 million grant were announced as part of the £95 million 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 people with improved incomes through key market reforms and policies that benefitted poor women and men in Northern Nigeria.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly also highlighted how UK support will help to unlock $210 million of financing from the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) for participating Nigerian states for the development of critical infrastructure and related activities under the Special Agro-industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) programme.

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 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.

Propcom+’s Political Director and Country Representative Adiya V. Ode, said:

Propcom+ will work as a market facilitator to identify constraints in market systems and will implement interventions through three broad-based inter-linked pillars. Pillar one will scale-up a focused basket of proven climate-smart interventions around agriculture and primary processing and storage practices and models for adoption by millions of poor and vulnerable smallholder farmers and small-scale entrepreneurs using a market-systems approach.

Pillar two will build, pilot and scale new business models that improve productivity, enhance resilience to climate change, reduce emission and improve nutrition outcomes and pillar three will seek to support a strengthened enabling environment for sustainable food and land-use systems through enabling policies.

The new Propcom+ programme reinforces the UK government’s commitment to working with the Government of Nigeria to increase the depth of investment in the agricultural sector, this time, helping the vulnerable to build resilience and adapt to the effects of climate change.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 3 August 2023.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly visits Zambia and announces new targets for the UK-Zambia Green Growth Compact.

• the Foreign Secretary will announce a UK clean energy partnership with Zambia today at the end of a 4-day visit to Africa
• new ambitious targets set for green investment include up to £2.5 billion of UK private sector funding and up to £500 million in UK government backed investments
• in the first Foreign Secretary visit to Zambia in over 30 years, James Cleverly will also tour a copper mine and sign a memorandum of understanding on critical minerals

The UK will boost its commitment to a green economic partnership with Zambia today [3 August] as the Foreign Secretary sets out ambitious new targets to drive green investment.

The new targets will be delivered through the UK-Zambia Green Growth Compact, which aims to drive investment in Zambia’s green economy, strengthening the growing economic partnership between Zambia and the UK, tackling climate change, creating jobs and new business opportunities in both countries.

Supporting the Foreign Secretary’s drive to prioritise future-focussed, mutually beneficial partnerships on his visit to Africa this week, these new targets include generating up to £2.5 billion of British private sector investment in Zambia’s mining, minerals and renewable energy sectors, delivering up to £500 million of UK government-backed investments and mobilising up to £150 million of private sector investment into small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). UK and Zambian firms will benefit from the commercial opportunities, growing the economy of both countries.

The Foreign Secretary will also tour the Mimbula Copper Mine, where British firm Moxico Resources will invest an additional $210 million (around £164 million) of private sector funding to expand production at the site, increasing exports, and economic growth in both Zambia and the UK.

James Cleverly will also sign a memorandum of understanding on critical minerals which will lay the foundation for further UK support for the responsible mining of copper, cobalt and other metals essential to the global clean energy transition.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

Working together with our partners in Zambia, the UK is driving the clean energy transition. The UK-Zambia Green Growth Compact and our landmark agreement on critical minerals will support investment between UK and Zambian business, creating jobs in both countries, and improving environmental and social standards.

Together we will build a stronger, greener, more prosperous future for both countries, which benefits us all.

More broadly, the Foreign Secretary will see how UK support is making a difference to communities across Zambia. In Ndola, close to Zambia’s border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, he will open a secondary school which is part of the UK-supported Promoting Equality in African Schools initiative and supports children to access high quality secondary education.

At Kasengu Market, he will meet beneficiaries of the UK-funded Social Cash Transfer Programme to see first-hand the positive impact UK aid is having for those most in need in the country. In Lusaka, he will discuss with President Hichilema and Foreign Minister Kakubo a wide range of issues relevant to the UK-Zambia partnership, including support for debt restructure and IMF-backed reform programme, regional security cooperation, and our joint desire for a fairer and more responsive international financial system.

The Foreign Secretary’s visit to Zambia concludes a 3-country tour, where he boosted the UK’s future-focussed, mutually-beneficial partnerships with Nigeria and Ghana and reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to advance trade, investment and green growth in Africa.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 2 August 2023.

Mr Nigel Casey CMG MVO has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Russian Federation in succession to Dame Deborah Bronnert DCMG, who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Mr Casey will take up his appointment in November 2023.

Curriculum vitae

Full name: Nigel Philip Casey CMG MVO

Place of Birth: Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, UK

Dates	Role
2021 to 2023	Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan
2017 to 2021	Pretoria, British High Commissioner
2014 to 2016	Private Secretary to the Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs
2011 to 2013	Sarajevo, Her Majesty’s Ambassador
2007 to 2011	New Delhi, Deputy High Commissioner and Political Counsellor
2006 to 2007	Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), Head, Iraq Policy Unit
2003 to 2006	Moscow, Head, Foreign Policy team
2002	Russian language training
2001	FCO, G8 and OECD, Economic Policy Department
1999 to 2000	FCO, Nuclear Policy, Security Policy Department
1996 to 1998	Washington, Private Secretary to HM Ambassador
1993 to 1995	Johannesburg, Vice-Consul Political, Aid and Media
1991 to 1993	FCO, Know How Fund for Hungary
1991	Joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 2 August 2023.

FSD Africa Investments injects £10m in innovative risk-sharing facility in partnership with InfraCredit to support Nigeria’s sustainable climate infrastructure

FSD Africa Investments, in partnership with InfraCredit, have invested £10m into a first-of-its-kind risk-sharing backstop facility, designed to unlock local currency funding for sustainable infrastructure development in Nigeria.

The Risk Sharing Backstop Facility (RSBF) will address the challenge of low credit enhancement by mobilising local institutional investment via bonds into viable early-stage or green-field climate-aligned infrastructure projects.

By increasing the accessibility of finance for climate-aligned infrastructure projects, the facility will help Nigeria accelerate social and economic development, green economic transition as well as deliver on climate goals.

Backed by the UK International Development through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), FSD Africa Investments (FSDAi) is pleased to be undertaking this £10m investment in partnership with InfraCredit – an established player in the sustainable infrastructure financing space.

InfraCredit’s current investments and project pipeline demonstrates the breadth and variety of projects this facility will support, with projects ranging from distributed renewable energy services for urban residences, to commercial and industrial renewable projects, edge-certified green housing and e-mobility infrastructure.

The RSBF will raise funding in series, initially from FSDAi, and eventually from other funders – aiming to reach a total capital base of up to US$50m.This investment therefore aligns with one of FSD Africa’s primary objectives – developing capital markets by tackling blockages in the system.

UK Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, said:

This investment further demonstrates the UK’s commitment and contribution to Nigeria’s transition to clean energy and builds on decades of UK leadership in mobilising support for climate-related infrastructure challenges. Just like the successes of British International Investment (BII) and our Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), I am optimistic that InfraCredit will continue to grow and mobilise even more private sector capital to invest in better, greener infrastructure.

Chief Investment Officer, FSD Africa Investments, FSD Africa, Anne-Marie Chidzero, said:

FSDAi’s partnership with InfraCredit on the bridge-to-bond facility introduces a derisking financing solution to mobilise short and medium-term local institutional investment into critically needed infrastructure projects that are currently considered un-bankable without alternative credit enhancement. Moreover, as Africa’s economies struggle to mobilise capital to develop key climate mitigation and sustainable power generation projects, this facility comes as a timely and much-needed intervention for Nigeria’s infrastructure landscape.

Chief Executive Officer, InfraCredit, Chinua Azubike, said:

I am delighted to work with FSD Africa Investments on an innovative facility which will support much needed, but underfinanced projects realise their ultimate goals and purpose.

Smart use of catalytic capital can dramatically increase the role of private capital and local intermediaries in investing in Nigeria’s sustainable infrastructure space and help the country develop responses to the significant challenges which confront it from the deteriorating environment and ecology to an unstable energy mix and severe social inequality.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 August 2023.

The Foreign Secretary meets a key Nigerian player in electric vehicles, MAX Nigeria, backed by UK investors from the UK’s Manufacturing Africa programme.

In line with the UK Government’s commitment to supporting clean, green and sustainable economic growth in Africa, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly visited a Nigerian e-mobility platform and electric vehicle assembler, MAX Nigeria.

With support from the UK-funded Manufacturing Africa programme, MAX raised $31 million to ramp up the assembly of electric two- and three-wheelers. MAX is now gearing up for a third capital raise, to fund its expansion to become a regional e-mobility player. MAX Nigeria has empowered over 21,000 drivers operating in 8 cities within Nigeria and has contributed to cutting 52 metric tons of CO2 emissions from the environment.

Manufacturing Africa’s team of McKinsey consultants conducted a market assessment of the electric vehicle value chain for MAX, contributing to their electric vehicle (EV) scale-up strategy. UK-linked financiers including Novastar (backed by British International Investment) and Shell Foundation are some of the organisations financing MAX’s growth. MAX has also found a UK business partner in Field Ready, to support them on recruitment.

Work with MAX is part of the UK’s support for economic growth, job creation and value-addition in Africa that aligns with global climate priorities.

British funds continue to support game-changing entrepreneurs and companies in Africa. British International Investment manages a $4.7bn investment portfolio in Africa, including 86 companies and 43 funds in Nigeria alone. Other funding sources include:

Infracredit, which provides local currency guarantees to unlock long-term infrastructure financing in Nigeria
FSD Africa Investments, which invests in order to improve the financial instruments supporting Africa’s green economic growth
the Climate Finance Accelerator, a public-private finance initiative that supports low-carbon projects
Importantly, the UK also provides support for companies to access investment, whether from the UK or elsewhere. The Manufacturing Africa programme is supporting 22 manufacturers to land investments in Nigeria, with a pipeline of $664m+ foreign direct investment (FDI). The programme supports over 120 companies across 5 countries in Africa, which are mitigating 239,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, while creating 14,000 new jobs.

British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery said:

I am delighted to visit MAX Nigeria with our Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. MAX are truly innovative and entrepreneurial, solving a thousand problems at once to bring affordable electric vehicles to West African riders.

It is fantastic that a combination of UK public and private sector support is helping MAX to create jobs, bring new skills into the market, and solve climate change challenges. We will continue to support companies doing this groundbreaking work on the continent.

Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of MAX Nigeria, Adetayo Bamiduro said:

Our mission at MAX is to continue scaling the impact of our vehicle subscription platform across Africa and to deliver on our commitment to provide sustainable income to millions of mobility entrepreneurs by enabling them to access income-generating, energy-efficient, and electric vehicles that meet the essential needs of Africans.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 August 2023.

The UK has today formally acknowledged that acts of genocide were committed against the Yazidi people by Daesh in 2014.

• Announcement comes ahead of events marking the nine year anniversary of atrocities committed by Daesh against the Yazidi people.
• UK decision follows ruling by the German Federal Court of Justice which found a former Daesh fighter guilty of acts of genocide and crimes against humanity.
• UK continues to play leading role in eradicating Daesh, including through rebuilding affected communities and tackling its poisoning propaganda.

The UK has today formally acknowledged that acts of genocide were committed against the Yazidi people by Daesh in 2014.

The Minister of State for the Middle East Lord Ahmad made the announcement ahead of events marking the nine-year anniversary of atrocities committed by Daesh against the Yazidi people.

Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord Ahmad, said:

The Yazidi population suffered immensely at the hands of Daesh nine years ago and the repercussions are still felt to this day. Justice and accountability are key for those whose lives have been devastated.

Today we have made the historic acknowledgement that acts of genocide were committed against the Yazidi people. This determination only strengthens our commitment to ensuring that they receive the compensation owed to them and are able to access meaningful justice.

The UK will continue to play a leading role in eradicating Daesh, including through rebuilding communities affected by its terrorism and leading global efforts against its poisonous propaganda.

The UK’s position has always been that determinations of genocide should be made by competent courts, rather than by governments or non-judicial bodies. This determination has been made following the judgment of the German Federal Court of Justice earlier this year, where it found a former Daesh fighter guilty of acts of genocide and crimes against humanity committed in Iraq.

The UK officially acknowledges five instances where genocide has occurred: the Holocaust, Rwanda, Srebrenica and acts of genocide in Cambodia and against the Yazidi people.

During his visit to Iraq earlier this year, including to the Kurdistan region, Lord Ahmad also welcomed progress with the passage of the Yazidi Survivors Law, which will provide reparations to survivors. He underlined the UK’s commitment to helping Iraq fully implement the law and ensure that survivors receive full support and access to justice.

A commemoration event – which is being held in Baghdad – has been organised by Yazidi civil society organisations and will welcome international stakeholders. The UK’s Ambassador to Iraq, Steve Hitchen, will attend and confirm the UK’s announcement.

Further information:

• On 30 November 2021, Frankfurt Higher Regional Court sentenced Taha Al-Jumailly, a former Daesh fighter, to life imprisonment for acts of genocide and crimes against humanity, for the enslavement and abuse of a Yazidi woman and her five-year-old daughter in 2015. On 17 January 2023, the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) upheld the Frankfurt ruling and rejected the Defendant’s appeal.
• Though territorially defeated, the fact is that Daesh remains a serious threat in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere. The UK continues to support the work of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL (UNITAD) and international efforts to bring perpetrators of Daesh violence to justice.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 August 2023.

The Crew of HMS TAMAR refurbished and rededicated a memorial to the 517 British WWII prisoners of war at Ballalae.

When visiting Solomon Islands, the Crew of HMS TAMAR refurbished and rededicated a memorial to the 517 British WWII prisoners of war at Ballalae, Shortland Islands, 80 years after they were executed by Japanese Imperial Forces.

In November 1942, 517 soldiers of the Royal Artillery, prisoners of war captured in the fall of Singapore earlier that year, were transported to the Island of Ballalae, in Shortland Islands, to construct an airfield the Japanese dubbed an ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier’.

Over the ensuing months of unrelenting forced labour in the brutal tropical climate, many had died from exhaustion and tropical disease, and hundreds more as a result of allied bombings with their captors forbidding them to build trenches to shelter themselves.

In 1943, as the Allied forces liberated the South Pacific islands, the Japanese Commanders on Ballalae believed that they would be taken next and executed the remaining 57 prisoners.

When US forces took the Northern Solomon Islands they bypassed Ballalae and left it to ‘wither on the vine’ and it wasn’t until 1945 that the first Allied forces landed and discovered the remains of the last 57 in shallow trenches.

An atrocities commission was carried out on the island that led to the discovery of a mass grave from which 436 bodies were exhumed with artefacts identifying them as British artillerymen. They were subsequently re-interred in separate graves at the Bomana War Cemetery near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, their headstones marked with the solemn inscription, ‘Here lies a Soldier, known only to God’.

In 2003, relatives of 3 of the POWs undertook a pilgrimage to Ballalae and dedicated a memorial at the air strip in the form of a cairn with a wooden cross and a plaque donated by the Royal Artillery Association. As it is not a registered Commonwealth war grave it does not receive any regular maintenance and by 2007 the memorial had fallen into disrepair.

An ex-British serviceman, Mr Phil Jones, then working in the Solomon Islands as part of an Australian government mission, kindly re-built the memorial with an iron cross on top of a concrete plinth built over the top of the remains of the old cairn and this is what stands today.

In 2023, 80 years on from the atrocities of 1943, the British High Commissioner to the Solomon Islands, His Excellency Thomas Coward took the opportunity during a visit to the Islands by Royal Navy Vessel, HMS TAMAR to maintain the monument.

After wading ashore across the coral beach of Ballalae, the High Commissioner and HMS TAMAR’s Captain, Commanding Officer Teilo Elliot-Smith were warmly welcomed to the island by the local people from Shortlands.

The crew then got to work removing the rust and grime of 16 years to return the memorial to its former glory before a service of re-dedication was held to remember the soldiers who had died on the island.

The re-dedication service was officiated by HMS TAMAR’s Chaplain, Reverend Mick Uffindell, and attended by the Ship’s crew and representatives of the local community.

During the ceremony, traditional remembrance Red poppy wreaths were laid by the British High Commissioner, His Excellency Thomas Coward, and HMS TAMAR’s Executive Officer, Lieutenant Commander Matt Millyard, alongside hand-made floral bouquets from the Solomon Islanders.

Reflecting on the day, the Chaplain said:

It was an incredible privilege to be able to pay tribute to these servicemen and their families today and in addition to restoring the memorial we placed 517 white stones, one for each individual who lost their life on Ballalae Island.

HMS TAMAR’s Commanding Officer, Commander Teilo Elliot-Smith said:

It has been an honour for the Ship to pay our respects to these British Servicemen. Ballalae is simultaneously the site of a horrific chapter of WWII, in the most inhospitable of places, and now a peaceful and idyllic island. Our sailors were eager to pay their respects and did so beautifully.

His Excellency Thomas Coward said:

It was an honour that we could gather to commemorate and pay our respects to the brave soldiers of the Royal Artillery who died on Ballalae. I want to thank the Government and People of Solomon Islands who supported us to conduct this important act of remembrance. I want to thank the government of Western Province, and the people of Shortland Islands for your warm help and for allowing this memorial to their sacrifice to stand as a reminder of the importance of peace.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 August 2023.

The Foreign Secretary will pledge support to Nigeria’s agriculture sector during a visit to the country.

Foreign Secretary pledges support to make Nigeria’s agriculture sector more resilient to climate change on a visit to Nigeria
Funding will help more than four million people develop better farming practices and reduce harmful carbon emissions
James Cleverly’s trip to Nigeria comes on a three-country visit to Africa where he is prioritising future-focussed, mutually-beneficial partnerships
The Foreign Secretary will announce a new package of support to make Nigeria’s agriculture sector more climate resilient, as he arrives in the country today, continuing his four-day African visit.

More than two thirds of Nigeria’s population depend on agriculture for employment. This new funding will help boost the Nigerian agricultural sector’s productivity and resilience to the impacts of climate change, transforming Nigerian critical agriculture and food systems for the benefit of people, climate and nature. 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.

It comes on the second leg of the Foreign Secretary’s three-country visit to Africa, where he is prioritising future-focussed, mutually-beneficial relationships.

In Lagos today, he will announce a £10 million UK-backed facility in Nigeria, in partnership with finance company InfraCredit that will unlock funding for sustainable and climate-friendly infrastructure development projects – such as providing renewable energy services to homes in urban areas, as well as green housing.

Tomorrow, in Abuja he will announce a £55 million Propcom+ contract, a UK International Climate Finance programme which aims to support the transformation of Nigeria’s rural economy, and a £2.89 million grant, 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.

Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly said:

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 focussing 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.

On his first visit to Nigeria, the Foreign Secretary will also visit a UN Humanitarian Air Service centre in Nigeria’s capital Abuja where he will hear how over £38 million of UK funding has helped vulnerable communities in the North-East of Nigeria.

Over four million people are facing food insecurity, and two million children under five are acutely malnourished in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States. This funding is helping to protect people, build their resilience to the ongoing food shortage crisis, and prevent famine.

The Foreign Secretary will also meet Nigerian president Bola Ahmed Tinubu and National Security Advisor Mallam Nuhu Ribadu to discuss the UK-Nigeria partnership and key common priorities, including how to increase bilateral trade and investment, economic development, regional issues, and strengthened security cooperation.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 31 July 2023.

Commits funding through UNDP’s Elections Basket Fund that will support Malawi Government’s preparedness for a free, fair and credible election in 2025.