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Nigeria
UK Integrated Security Fund (UKISF)
UK - UK Integrated Security Fund (UKISF)
The UK Integrated Security Fund (UKISF) replaced the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), with a wider remit, funding projects both in the UK and internationally to tackle some of the most complex national security challenges facing the UK and its partners. The UKISF combined the CSSF with the National Cyber Programme and the Economic Deterrence Initiative (EDI). The latter tackling sanctions evasion across the UK’s trade, transport, and financial sanctions. Like the CSSF, the UKISF budget includes Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) funds and non-ODA funds.
Animal Health Systems Strengthening (AHSS) Project
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
Phase 1 (2022-25) - The aim of the project was to work with responsible authorities in Lower-Middle Income Countries to build resilient health systems by strengthening capabilities in animal health systems, to better protect from, and detect and respond to known and emerging diseases (including those of epidemic and pandemic potential) through a One Health, all-hazards, system strengthening approach, improving livelihoods and enhancing global health security. Phase 2 (from April 2025) - The project will focus on increasing the resilience of the animal health sector against climate change induced shocks, strengthening the competent authorities’ ability to reduce the burden of animal disease associated with climate variability - aiming to improve livelihoods through strengthened livestock assets, particularly amongst the rural poor, reducing loss attributed to disease and climate change vulnerability through stronger animal health systems. AHSS will continue to take a One Health and cross HMG approach to enhance global health security, improve resilience to climate change and support poverty reduction, working in partnership with Department of Health and Social Care, UK Health Security Agency and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office at the human-animal-environmental interface to maximize impact.
Global Programme on Sustainability
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
The programme supports sustainable economic growth that is both long-lasting and resilient to climate-related stressors. It does this through the integration of natural capital into decision making by governments, the private sector and financial institutions. The inability to value natural capital can undermine long-term growth and critically, the livelihoods of the poorest people dependent on ecosystems for their livelihoods. This programme directly addresses this challenge by (i) investing in data and research on natural capital; (ii) assisting countries to integrate this analysis into government policy making; and (iii) integrating this data and analysis into financial sector decision making.
ORRAA Programme
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
The Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA) is a multi-sector alliance that aims to drive investment into coastal natural capital through the development of innovative finance solutions. These products will reduce vulnerability and build resilience in the most exposed and vulnerable coastal regions and communities. The UK has committed £13.9 million into ORRAA, delivered in two phases. A successful Phase 1 in 2021-22 provided £1.9m in grant funding, followed by Phase 2 from 2022-2026 with £12m committed in grant funding. The UK’s investment will address 2 challenges faced by coastal communities and the ocean environment: 1) Tackling the impacts of anthropogenic climate change and biodiversity loss. 2) Overcoming barriers that prevent finance flowing into nature-based solutions. The grant awarded to ORRAA will support their aims to drive at least $500 million of investment into coastal and ocean natural capital, and produce at least 50 new, innovative finance products, by 2030. This would positively impact the resilience of 250 million climate vulnerable people in coastal areas worldwide.
Darwin Initiative
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
The Darwin Initiative is the UK’s flagship international challenge fund for biodiversity conversation and poverty reduction, established at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. The Darwin Initiative is a grant scheme working on projects that aim to slow, halt, or reverse the rates of biodiversity loss and degradation, with associated reductions in multidimensional poverty. To date, the Darwin Initiative has awarded more than £195m to over 1,280 projects in 159 countries to enhance the capability and capacity of national and local stakeholders to deliver biodiversity conservation and multidimensional poverty reduction outcomes in low and middle-income countries. More information at https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/the-darwin-initiative. This page contains information about Rounds 27 onwards. For information about Rounds 1 to 26, please see the Darwin Initiative website -https://www.darwininitiative.org.uk/
Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
Illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is a widespread and lucrative criminal activity causing major global environmental and social harm. The IWT has been estimated to be worth up to £17 billion a year. Nearly 6,000 different species of fauna and flora are impacted, with almost every country in the world playing a role in the illicit trade. The UK government is committed to tackling illegal trade of wildlife products and is a long-standing leader in efforts to eradicate the IWT. Defra manages the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, which is a competitive grants scheme with the objective of tackling IWT and, in doing so, contributing to sustainable development in developing countries. Projects funded under the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund address one, or more, of the following themes: • Developing sustainable livelihoods to benefit people directly affected by IWT, • Strengthening law enforcement, • Ensuring effective legal frameworks, • Reducing demand for IWT products. By 2023 over £51 million has been committed to 157 projects since the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund was established in 2013. This page contains information about Rounds 7 onwards. For information about Rounds 1 to 6, please see the IWTCF website -https://iwt.challengefund.org.uk/
UNIQUE STEAM TO POWER GENERATOR SYSTEMS FOR DECENTRALISED THERMAL PLANTS AND SMALL WASTE INCINERATORS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Nigeria and other ODA countries have limited and unreliable grid electricity supply which limits industrial growth and productivity. As a result of power intermittency and being offgrid, many industries are reliant on highly polluting costly diesel generators. Heliex Power manufactures a unique energy recovery technology based on twin-screw steam turbine, which is easy to retrofit, install and operate in industrial applications that produce waste heat. Saturated wet steam is common in these thermal processes, and industries benefit from a Heliex TST unit as its innovative expander technology is unique in working with saturated wet steam to generate power. Current version of Heliex has sold over 85 units across Europe, but requires reliable grid connectivity to operate, and so is unsuitable for ODA countries. The aim of this project is develop the electrical and control systems to allow offgrid/decentralised operation. Project developments include modifications to the electrical part of the unit, its control to the new system requirements, modifying steam components as identified during an engineering review, plus testing and certification of the equipment. The solution offers an alternative to replace or reduce the power generated from diesel generators by industry with clean power generated by the Heliex unit. This cost-effective solution will also make it affordable for industrial customers to run their factories, especially with the removal of government diesel subsidies in Nigeria. Long term, Heliex with our local distributor in Nigeria, and in other ODA countries will further promote the installation of our equipment in industry significantly reducing carbon emissions.
Ubuntu Energy
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This project aims to build community resilience in sub-Saharan Africa using Energy Ubuntu as a vehicle. It is akin to the 'Uber of Energy', democratising power sharing, transforming wasted energy into community power, and empowering communities to drive their development through sustainable means. It seeks to transform waste energy to community power for productive use. It addresses the developmental challenges of lack of modern and clean energy access, energy poverty and the harmful effects of global warming by improving access to clean and reliable electricity and deriving new business and economic change models, and building capabilities and contributing to SDGs 1,3,4,5,7,8,9,11,12,13. Nigeria's electricity sector faces a problem. Its Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) are sub-optimally utilized and substantially wasteful, while it has deficient electricity access of ~60%. Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are up to 400% oversized or lack the mechanism required to utilize their generation potential. Some PV systems are up to 80% used during the weekdays but are 20% utilized on weekends. Rural communities only utilize about 5% of the potential PV energy. Yet, 85 million Nigerians have no electricity access, costing Nigeria $26 billion annually for self-generation using carbon-intensive generators, causing excessive carbon emissions and energy waste because excess generation cannot be fed into the grid. To address this challenge, Energy Ubuntu delivers a design and pilot of a smart grid (SG) peer-to-peer (P2P) energy-sharing framework that enables the distribution of excess generation potential to energy consumers to enhance PV capacity utilization and minimize energy waste while providing clean and affordable electricity. It improves PV usage by incentivizing individuals or businesses to sell energy to potential consumers in a peer-to-peer system. The consumers will be SMEs and homes near solar PV systems in rural and urban communities. The project will be implemented over two years with critical deliverables of smart grid design, energy trading software, energy data mining and machine learning models for energy supply, deployment of smart circuitry in 200 sites, energy trade, and the evolution of new business models and community resilience initiatives. It will be implemented by four teams, Greenage Technologies (Technical lead), Nithio (Technical partner), Oxford EPG (research lead), and DRE Partners Ltd (formerly Kula Foods) (Admin Lead). Some co-benefits can be derived from Energy Ubuntu, including sustainable community development and carbon emission reduction leading to improved standards of living while significantly decreasing CO2 emissions.
Development of a HIGH Capacity FLEXible Energy Storage System for Mini-Grid Application in Sub-Sahara Africa (High ESS)
DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
This collaborative project will develop and demonstrate a new technology (HIGHFLEX) that consists of a high-capacity flexible energy storage systems (HIGHFLEX ESS) integrated with innovative Battery Management System (BMS); Power Conditioning Unit (PCU) and intelligent monitoring and performance management system (Digital Twin) for mini grid applications in hot climates. The new technology is a portable and scalable system that facilitates: Quick development of mini grids in SSA. Storage of high-capacity energy generated from clean power sources during peak hours for off-peak utilisation. Delivering reliable and affordable power system through innovative solutions e.g., Digital twin, second life battery, real-time performance management and heat control system. The project's vision is to rapidly accelerate access to affordable off-grid electricity from clean energy sources in SSA. The project taps into the expanding global mini grid markets to offer affordable energy access for social mobility and inclusion in SSA communities not served by main power grids. HIGHFLEX will facilitate steady supply of electricity to rural and unserved areas and reduce energy access gaps between rural and urban communities in SSA where inaccessibility to affordable electricity is one of the main drivers of poverty to over 600 million people. This project has chosen Nigeria as a case for deployment of HIGHFLEX technology because of its over 200 million population and majority of its rural population (48% of its total population) do not have access to affordable and low carbon electricity. The project addresses barrier (access to electricity) to adoption of advancements in healthcare system; developing new technologies for agriculture, commerce, education; and entrepreneurship. HIGHFLEX makes it possible to deliver low carbon electricity to unlock sustainable economic development in SSA communities. This will empower women and children to lead more productive lives and have a better wellbeing. This will in turn encourage gender equality by learning digital and modern skills, which gives girls and women equal access to education, healthcare and enterprise. Furthermore, access to clean energy via mini grid will reduce crime and social unrest, since majority of the population would be productively engaged (Bloomberg 2020). This will lead to improved human security and cohesive communities and societies driven by mutual objective for sustainable development. HIGHFLEX will accelerate access to affordable and low carbon clean energy from bio-diesel, solar and wind (SDG 7), which lower environmental impacts from continued use of diesel-powered generators in Nigeria (world's leading generator consumer) to combat climate change effects (SDG 13).
Moove Nigeria B.V.
British International Investment plc
Moove is a mobility fintech democratising access to vehicle ownership in Africa.
TeamApt Inc.
British International Investment plc
Moniepoint is a financial technology company. It provides an all-in-one payments, banking and operations platform for businesses in Nigeria.
Ventures Platform Fund IV
British International Investment plc
This is a seed-stage venture fund, investing in tech-enabled businesses, predominantly in Nigeria. Its objective is to solve structural challenges in African markets in sectors such as fintech, healthtech, edtech and agtech.
Access Bank Plc
British International Investment plc
The bank is a systemically important financial institution in Nigeria.
Adlevo Capital Africa LLC
British International Investment plc
A Nigeria-based venture capital fund that focuses on growth capital in technology-enabled infrastructure and services companies with an emphasis on regional rollouts.
Indorama Eleme Fertilizer & Chemicals Limited
British International Investment plc
Indorama Eleme Fertilizers and Chemicals in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, operates the world’s largest single train urea plant and is the biggest urea producer in sub-Saharan Africa.
Azura Power
British International Investment plc
Debt investment to increase the generation of electricity and tackle the chronic shortage of power in Nigeria.
Indorama Eleme Fertilizer & Chemicals Limited
British International Investment plc
A debt investment by CDC to Indorama Eleme Fertilizer & Chemicals Limited. The loan will fund a project to build and operate a fertilizer production facility. As well as being a major job creator in the region, the investment aims to contribute to improved farm yields and agricultural productivity, which are critical to Nigeria?s long- term food security.
Climate Finance Blending Facility Limited
British International Investment plc
The Climate Finance Blending Facility (the “Facility”) is a catalytic first loss multi-donor facility seeded with £10 million concessional funding by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (“FCDO”) to mobilise additional funding from development partners to co-finance renewable clean energy investments alongside InfraCredit’s local currency guarantees in Nigeria.
Babban Gona Farmer Services Nigeria Limited
British International Investment plc
Babban Gona is an innovative agricultural business in Nigeria. It builds smallholder farmer groups and provides them with end-to-end services, using a franchise model which leverages its proprietary advanced technology platform. These include agricultural inputs, financing, training and education as well as harvest and marketing services. Through this model, Babban Gona significantly improves the profitability and income levels of smallholder farmers.
Aruwa Capital Fund II
British International Investment plc
Aruwa Capital Fund II is a Nigerian investment firm focused on early-stage investments across consumer, healthcare, fintech and cleantech, with an emphasis on gender lens investing.