By Mary Onyia
The United Kingdom (UK) has launched a £15 million growth programme aimed at boosting investment, supporting economic reforms and strengthening Nigeria’s long-term development agenda.
UK Minister for Africa and International Development, Baroness Chapman, announced the programme during a two-day visit to Nigeria, which covered engagements in Abuja and Kaduna.
Chapman said the programme will run over three years and is designed to accelerate economic transformation.
She said it will also unlock private investment and support Nigeria’s transition from macroeconomic stabilisation to sustained, reform-driven growth.
During her visit, Chapman met with Taiwo Oyedele, the minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, where both sides discussed the new initiative and broader areas of economic cooperation between Nigeria and the UK.
The UK also announced deeper collaboration on Nigeria’s digital economy through the State Partnership for Regulatory Innovation in the Digital Economy (SPRIRET), an initiative under the UK’s Digital Access Programme.
SPRIRET is expected to support digital governance reforms across five Nigerian states, reduce regulatory bottlenecks and create an enabling environment for investment in broadband infrastructure, digital services and emerging technologies.
Speaking on the initiative, Oyedele said the UK-Nigeria partnership remained one of the country’s most important bilateral relationships.
He added that the UK-Nigeria Growth Programme would help deepen the partnership by supporting capital market development, technology investment, small businesses and technical assistance.
“We continue to value the UK-Nigeria relationship, one of the most important partnerships for both our countries”, the minister said.
Chapman also met Jumoke Oduwole, minister of industry, trade and investment, to review progress under the Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership (ETIP), including efforts to expand exports under the UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme and strengthen cooperation in fintech and capital markets.
In Kaduna, the UK minister met Uba Sani, governor of the state, to review over two decades of development cooperation and explore opportunities for deeper collaboration in investment mobilisation and climate finance.
She also visited community animal health workers and livestock breeders benefiting from UK-supported agricultural interventions, as well as the Unguwan Sanusi Primary Health Care Centre in Kaduna South, which serves about 20,000 residents.
Speaking at the end of the visit, Chapman said the programme reflects the strength and direction of UK-Nigeria relations.
“This visit has reinforced everything I believe about the UK-Nigeria partnership. That it is deep, it is real, and it is moving in the right direction”, she said.
The UK said the announcement builds on existing economic engagement with Nigeria, including nearly $800 million invested by British International Investment (BII) across agriculture, renewable energy and manufacturing.