Nigeria and other developing countries are set to benefit from the UK government’s £37.3 million support for the Mobile for Development Programme.
According to a statement released by the British High Commission, Abuja, on Monday, the UK’s Development Minister, Andrew Mitchell announced the funding support during his speech at the 2024 Mobile World Congress.
The fund is expected to help more people access mobile and digital technologies to find new opportunities and boost their livelihoods.
The programme, which the UK funds in partnership with the UK-based mobile industry association, GSMA and the private sector, has already benefitted more than 100 million people and focuses on women and girls, climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience, and scaling up innovative solutions.
While noting that entrepreneurs will receive new support through the program to develop innovative mobile technology to help tackle development challenges around the world through the program, Andrew Mitchell said:
“Mobile technology has the potential to revolutionize the lives of the poor by helping tackle the effects of climate change, creating jobs and boosting opportunities for women.
“The Mobile for Development program has already benefitted more than 100 million people, and the UK’s new announcement aims to up the ambition, reaching 110 million additional people, including 60 million women.
“Together the worlds of development and mobile tech giants can be a powerful force to unlock opportunities and prosperity, and meet the UN Global Goals.”
UK funding has previously helped scale up a digital hub in Pakistan, BaKhabar Kissan (BKK), which provides accurate weather forecasting data to farmers to help them make critical farming decisions such as the timing of seed sowing, irrigation, and fertilisation. With the help of this program, BKK has almost doubled its users from 6.6 million to 12.4 million.
In Nigeria, the program is harnessing AI technology to provide real-time agricultural advice to farmers and providing them with pay-as-you-go solar-powered fridges.
Commenting on the partnership, the President of the GSMA Mobile for Development Foundation, John Giusti, said:
“For more than a decade, the FCDO and the GSMA Mobile for Development Foundation have worked closely in partnership to drive socio-economic and climate impact for the most underserved populations through digital innovation, and to date our partnership has improved the lives of more than 127 million people.
“Today’s renewal of our partnership will further amplify our joint impact by leveraging the power of digital and emerging technologies to support innovation, improve access to opportunities for women, and tackle the effects of climate change for the most vulnerable.”
At Mobile World Congress, GSMA also announced the grantees for its Climate Resilience and Adaptation Fund which is funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. This fund is designed to test and scale up new technology to combat the effects of climate change in countries throughout Africa and Asia.
Some of the projects being funded include one using AI-powered satellite imagery to help smallholder farmers increase their yields and another to reduce food waste via an online grocery platform.
