Abuja: Nigeria is set to receive €33 million in humanitarian assistance from the European Union, part of a wider €235 million package targeting conflict‑hit and food‑insecure communities across West Africa.
The funding is aimed at easing hunger, supporting displaced populations, and strengthening resilience in the region.
The bloc made the announcement in a statement signed by Mr Modestus Chukwulaka, Press and Information Officer for the European Union (EU) delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said the funding would support people affected by current conflicts and food crises. Forcibly displaced people, host communities, and hard-to-reach populations will also benefit.
According to him, out of the 235 million euros, 75 million euros will be directed to the Central Sahel, over 16.6 million euros to Cameroon, and 22 million euros to the Central African Republic.
He said over 72 million euros would go to Chad. Mauritania will get 4.8 million euros, Nigeria 33 million euros, and coastal countries over six million euros.
He said that an additional 6.4 million euros would support projects with a regional scope.
Hadja Lahbib, Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, said West and Central Africa face many humanitarian crises. These crises are driven by conflict, poverty, hunger, instability, and climate shocks.
“Last year in Chad, I saw the human cost: families that had fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs, their homes lost, their livelihoods destroyed.
“For millions of people, humanitarian aid is not a choice. It is food on the table, clean water, medicine, shelter, and a chance for their children to learn again.
“The EU will always stand with people in crisis, as a reliable and principled humanitarian partner, to save lives, ease suffering, and bring hope where it is needed most,” she said.
She said that the West and Central African regions were plagued by various humanitarian crises and faced significant humanitarian assistance.
The primary driver of these crises is conflict. This is made worse by the effects of climate change and various local issues, including governance, demography, and access to land and resources.
In addition to these intertwined dynamics, standalone crises persist in North-West Nigeria, North-West and South-West (NWSW) Cameroon, and the Central African Republic (CAR)