News
How Propcom Mai-karfi Helped Smallholder Farmers in Nigeria’s Rural Communities
UK aid funded programme, Propcom Mai-karfi, hosted a closing event at the Sheraton Abuja Hotel on Thursday, 21 October, along with key stakeholders in the agriculture sector.
Ben Llewellyn-Jones, UK’s Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos.
Programme staff explained how the UK Government’s investment in agriculture has expanded market access and catalysed private sector investments to create economic opportunities for smallholder farmers in Northern Nigeria.
In attendance was the Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, representatives of the UK Government and other donor agencies, commissioners of agriculture in implementing states, development sector partners, private sector stakeholders and civil society organisations.
The event provided a platform for Propcom Mai-karfi to tell its story of impact and to advance discussions on sustaining successes recorded over the years. Strategies for promoting inclusive business models for the private sector, prospects for transformation of the public sector, and opportunities for donors and development partners to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of development support into the region were shared.
UK’s Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Ben Llewellyn-Jones, said:“We are very pleased to be able to celebrate today with all our partners the impact Propcom Mai-Karfi has made in Northern Nigeria over the last 9 years.
“Its success has only been possible due to the drive, motivation, and willingness of our partners to adopt the market-driven approaches that ultimately create greater economic opportunities for poor men and women.
“The UK remains committed to supporting inclusive and climate resilient growth in Nigeria, and we look forward to continuing these partnerships.”
Hajiya Halima Lawal, Commissioner of Agriculture, Kaduna State, said:“I want to applaud the UK Government and to offer my congratulations to the entire Propcom Mai-karfi team for the considerable achievements in developing agriculture over the years, especially in promoting pro-poor opportunities and inclusive market growth in Northern Nigeria, and thereby improving the livelihood of citizens in our State and the region.
“As a State, we remain committed to facilitating and attracting investments and look forward with keen anticipation to future collaborations with the UK government.”
Kevin Gager, National Team Leader, Propcom Mai-karfi said:“Defining and/or sustaining various paths to economic recovery and growth demands that existing knowledge and experiences be accounted for in the process. Propcom’s closing event offered up our wealth of experience for everyone to share in the future development efforts in Northern Nigeria.”
Propcom Mai-karfi deployed the ‘Making Markets Work for the Poor – M4P’ approach which focuses on tackling the constraints that affect the markets that poor people participate in so that they can derive higher benefits and values from better functioning market systems.
The Programme targeted market systems with opportunities for poor farmers. It identified factors causing them to perform poorly and facilitated relevant players in the markets to address those underlying constraints. In so doing, Propcom helped to build the capacity of smallholders in climate smart agriculture and helped to provide the knowledge for them to improve their productivity and overall production.
By helping smallholders generate increased income, the Programme stimulated economic recovery in Northern Nigeria to the tune of N37 billion in public and private sector investment.
Deputy Team Leader, Propcom Mai-karfi, Ogheneovo Ugbebor said:“At the heart of Propcom Mai-karfi was sustainability. The Programme assumed only a facilitatory role, never direct delivery, thereby allowing key actors to drive the process from the outset.
“Importantly, Propcom’s intervention designs and strategies were built on the motivation and incentives of key players to act now and in the future, creating the needed drive for continuity. In its facilitative capacity, Propcom sustainably expanded market access to agricultural inputs and services, trade linkages and fostered business and regulatory reforms leveraging billions of Naira in investments from the public and private sectors.”
Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has issued a Public Health advisory on the spread of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM).
It said that the caution is particularly for states within the African Meningitis belt.
In a statement by the Corporate Communications Division of NCDC urged all Nigerians to remain vigilant and adopt preventive measures.
The statement said: “As Nigeria continues through the peak dry season months, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) alerts the public to the ongoing risk of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM), particularly in states within the African meningitis belt.
“Cerebrospinal meningitis occurs more frequently between December and April, when dry, dusty conditions, overcrowding, and poor ventilation increase the risk of transmission.
“The NCDC urges all Nigerians to remain vigilant and adopt preventive measures. Surveillance and response activities remain ongoing nationwide, and laboratory testing is being conducted at the state level while national laboratory capacity is being strengthened.
It explained that Cerebrospinal meningitis is a serious infection of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.
According to NCDC the affliction is most commonly caused by bacteria, particularly Neisseria meningitidis.
“Bacterial meningitis can progress rapidly and may be fatal within hours if untreated.
“However, early diagnosis and prompt antibiotic treatment significantly improve survival and reduce complications. CSM spreads through respiratory droplets during close contact, especially in overcrowded or poorly ventilated environments.”
It said that symptoms to watch out for include sudden high fever, severe headache, and neck stiffness.
It said other symptoms may include: nausea or vomiting, sensitivity to light, confusion or altered consciousness and seizures.
For In infants and young children, NCDC said the symptoms could bulging soft spot on the head.
The Centre said that early recognition and treatment can save lives.
According to a Kaspersky report “Mobile malware evolution,” the number of Trojan banker attacks on Android smartphones increased by 56% in 2025 compared to the previous year*.
This type of malware is designed to steal user credentials for online banking, e-payment services and credit card systems. Cybercriminals commonly distribute Trojan bankers through messaging apps, as well as through malicious webpages.
The number of new Trojan banker installation packages for Android (unique APK files) also increased sharply, reaching 255,090 packages – a 271% increase over 2024. This may indicate that these tools generate substantial profit for cybercriminals.
Kaspersky experts believe threat actors will continue both to expand delivery channels and develop new Trojan variants trying to evade detection by security solutions. Among all detected Trojan bankers, the leading families were Mamont and Creduz.
“Although Trojan bankers for smartphones are the fastest-growing type of malware, we also observed another important trend: preinstalled backdoors such as Triada and Keenadu appeared more frequently compared to previous years. People purchase completely new, but infected, Android devices and may be unaware of the threat.
Once integrated into the firmware fully functional preinstalled backdoors provide attackers with unlimited control over the victims’ smartphones and tablets. As a result, all information on infected devices can be compromised.
It’s quite difficult to remove such malware. If the device is infected, we recommend users check for firmware updates. After the update, run a scan of the device with a security solution again to make sure newly installed firmware is not infected,” comments Anton Kivva, malware analyst team lead at Kaspersky.
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