The European Union (EU) has announced the release of an additional €5 million to humanitarian partners working in Nigeria to address food insecurity and displacement.
This was disclosed in a statement published on the EU’s official website on Monday, August 26, 2024.
The EU stated that it has approved a total of €35 million for humanitarian assistance in West Africa, including Nigeria, due to the region’s ongoing dire humanitarian situation.
The affected regions include Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Mauritania, the Gulf of Guinea coastal countries, and Nigeria.
Need for Latest Allocation
According to the statement, these countries are affected by food insecurity and displacement caused by growing political instability, persisting and intensifying conflicts, and generalized violence.
The EU indicated that the funding will help meet the emergency needs of the most vulnerable people, especially in the areas of food assistance, nutrition, health, water, sanitation, shelter, and protection.
“In particular, the funding will be allocated to humanitarian partners working in Burkina Faso (€10 million), Mali (€8 million), Niger (€8 million), Mauritania (€1 million), Nigeria (€5 million), and the Gulf of Guinea countries (€3 million).
“This additional funding brings the total EU aid to these countries to €160.6 million this year,” the EU statement partly read.
According to EU data, 10% of the population in Mauritania is facing food insecurity, while in Nigeria, the volatile security situation in the Northeast and Northwest is leading to new and ongoing forced displacements, requiring multi-sectoral support.
“The Northeast and Northwest regions of Nigeria are also experiencing a significant increase in the number of malnourished children, while the 2024 lean season is expected to be the most severe in the last seven years.”
“The EU is one of the leading contributors of humanitarian aid in Nigeria. In 2023, the EU allocated €47.4 million in humanitarian aid.
“Since 2014, the EU has provided close to €482 million to help people in need in the country, including €31.5 million in 2024,” the statement partly read.
What You Should Know
According to EU data, 7.9 million people in North-East Nigeria require humanitarian aid.
It stated that 4.8 million people in the North-East could struggle to find enough food during the lean season (June-August 2024) without humanitarian assistance, which is 14% higher than in 2023.
The EU allocation further enhances international financial support for the Nigerian cause.
Nairametrics recently reported that the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) disclosed that, as of July 2024, 257 humanitarian organizations have received $805 million for their ongoing assistance to approximately six million vulnerable people in Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, and Chad.