The UK’s development finance institution, British International Investment (BII), has invested $7.5 million in Nigerian agri-tech platform Babban Gona to bolster food security and climate resilience for smallholder farmers in Northern Nigeria.
Announcing the investment in Lagos on Tuesday, September 2, British Deputy High Commissioner Jonny Baxter said the funding would help address key challenges such as limited access to finance, poor-quality inputs, low productivity, and rising climate risks. Through its AI-powered platform, Babban Gona offers end-to-end services including high-quality inputs, credit, training in climate-smart practices, and improved access to markets. The initiative is expected to benefit around 140,000 farmers by 2029.
UK Trade Envoy to Nigeria, Florence Eshalomi, said the investment would scale Babban Gona’s innovative franchise model, which supports top farmers in running micro-enterprises that supply financing and inputs while unlocking access to local bank funding. She stressed that the partnership reflects a strong UK-Nigeria commitment to inclusive and sustainable growth. Babban Gona’s Managing Director, Kola Masha, welcomed the investment as a milestone, recalling Britain’s role as the firm’s first institutional investor in 2013 and calling the new commitment a powerful endorsement of their shared vision to transform smallholder agriculture and improve rural livelihoods.