The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has said that it received a contribution of over €11 million (US$ 12 million) in 2024 from the European Union (EU) to help feed hungry families and provide support services in the conflict-affected northeast of Nigeria.
WFP in a statement noted that in a period of urgent need, the EU’s support enabled the provision of comprehensive food security support to people affected by the humanitarian crisis in Nigeria. Food assistance comprised €6.5 million of the EU contribution.
The statement added that the programme used the funds to provide life-saving food assistance and nutrition support to 1.4 million vulnerable people living in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states in the northeast region. Persistent conflict, climate shocks, high food prices and reduced household purchasing power continue to undermine people’s possibility to feed themselves in the states. The number of hungry people in the northeast is projected to rise to 5 million at the peak of this year’s lean season.
“The EU remains one of the largest contributors to WFP operations in Nigeria and we are very grateful for their support”, says David Stevenson, WFP Representative and Country Director. “We thank the EU, the Nigerian government authorities and all our other partners who work with us to reach the most vulnerable people in the northeast and provide them with life-saving food assistance.”
The EU’s contribution, channeled through the EU’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department (ECHO), also supported the provision of UN Humanitarian Air Services (UNHAS) to enhance humanitarian access in northeast Nigeria. UNHAS, managed by WFP, provides the humanitarian community with vital common services to reach and operate in areas of humanitarian crisis in the region.
With partners such as the EU, UNHAS achieved remarkable results in 2024, transporting over 28,500 passengers and airlifting some 416 metric tons of humanitarian cargo, according to the statement. UNHAS also chartered an additional helicopter and opened a new route (Maiduguri-Damaturu) to enhance access in the northeast.
The EU provided €4.6 million to UNHAS, equivalent to 20% of total UNHAS contributions in 2024.
“As our largest partner in Nigeria, ECHO plays a strategic role in our responding to the crisis. During unprecedented floods in 2024, UNHAS was able to reach locations that were impossible to access by road.
UNHAS stepped in to deliver medical equipment, nutrition assistance and other humanitarian supplies to themost hard-to-reach locations and to the most vulnerable people,” said Denys Saltanov, Chief, UNHAS Nigeria.
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