British International Investment (BII), the UK’s development finance institution, has committed a $7.5 million debt investment to Nigerian agri-tech platform Babban Gona, to improve food security and climate resilience for smallholder farmers in Northern Nigeria.
The investment will scale Babban Gona’s innovative model, enabling farmer-led enterprises to access local bank funding, improve yields, strengthen economic outcomes, and enhance climate resilience for around 140,000 farmers by 2029.
At the signing ceremony in Lagos, the UK Trade Envoy to Nigeria, Florence Eshalomi, said Babban Gona’s journey is “a powerful example of what’s possible when people invest in Nigeria’s agricultural future.”
She added, “Today, I’m proud to stand alongside British International Investment (BII) as we announce a $7.5 million investment into Babban Gona, a pioneering social enterprise transforming smallholder agriculture in Nigeria”.
This investment will help scale an innovative, tech-enabled model that empowers farmers with access to finance, training, and services, boosting yields and incomes while building climate resilience. This partnership reflects the UK-Nigeria commitment to sustainable, inclusive growth, and I’m excited to see the impact it will generate.”
Benson Adenuga, West Africa Regional Director and Head of Office for Nigeria, BII, highlighted the impact of their partnership,“By backing this pioneering franchise model, we are not only addressing a critical financing gap but also helping to build a more resilient and productive agricultural sector and support smallholder farmers in a region that is often overlooked by investors”.
“This investment will deliver tangible impact at scale, strengthening food security and climate resilience.”
Babban Gona’s Managing Director, Kola Masha, praised BII’s continued support, “The British government played an instrumental role in our story, becoming the first institutional investor in our 2013 public debt raise”.
Now, a little more than a decade later, to have British International Investment commit an amount 10x larger is a powerful testament to our shared vision for bettering the lives of smallholder farmers”.
Masha noted that Northern Nigeria produces 50–60% of the country’s maize.
Yet, smallholder farmers face persistent challenges, including small plots of land, limited access to finance, quality inputs, agronomic training, and reliable markets.
Climate risks such as floods and droughts further threaten yields and income stability, contributing to up to 30% post-harvest losses and worsening regional food insecurity.
He explained that Babban Gona’s platform overcomes these barriers by providing end-to-end services, including high-quality inputs, financial credit, climate-smart training, harvest and storage support, and market access.
Its franchise model allows top-performing farmers to run micro-enterprises that supply inputs and working capital financing, eventually accessing funding from local banks.
“Through this model, Babban Gona expects to improve yields, incomes, and climate resilience for around 140,000 smallholder farmers in Northern Nigeria by 2029, supported by BII’s investment to achieve sizeable impact,” Masha said.
Source: This Day
Image Credit: British International Investment
