Nigeria Grain Push: The federal government and the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) have launched the Renewed Hope Smallholder Agricultural Financing Programme to lift Nigeria’s annual grain output from 11m tonnes to 25m tonnes, targeting 500,000 farmers this wet season and scaling to 2m next year, with inputs financed via a 9% single-digit loan model (not grants) through selected aggregators. Women & Youth Agribusiness Support: Nigeria’s RISE project is moving into implementation across Bauchi, Kaduna and Kano, launching an Expression of Interest for women- and youth-led MSMEs in rice, maize, soybean and groundnut value chains for targeted financial and technical backing. Niger Delta Investment: Vice President Shettima has launched a $500m Niger Delta Agricultural and Investment Fund to drive commercial, returns-focused projects across aquaculture, palm oil, cassava, cocoa, rice, horticulture, marine resources and livestock. Food Safety & Health: Croatia is tightening African swine fever (ASF) containment after 89 outbreaks, with 2,822 pigs culled, warning of threats from illegal pig transport and unregistered stock. Agri-Tech for Farmers: Tanzania’s researchers have developed Pataintel, an AI platform giving onion and garlic farmers location-specific guidance to cut losses and boost incomes. Climate Finance Gap: Nigeria is turning to domestic banks and private capital to close a $171bn climate funding gap, as multilateral sources cover less than 2% of Africa’s needs. Rural Security & Food Security: A South African farm-attack activist is walking over 1,000km to Pretoria to demand stronger rural safety measures to protect farmers and safeguard food security. Ethiopia Rights Alarm: Thousands protested in Addis Ababa over alleged forced recruitment of civilians in Tigray, with rights groups alleging house-to-house roundups of men and boys. Rooibos to Space: South Africa’s rooibos seeds are set for a space mission to test germination and resilience in microgravity, linking farmers, learners and research.