EU Announces €235 Million in Humanitarian Aid for West and Central Africa

EU Announces €235 Million in Humanitarian Aid for West and Central Africa

The European Commission has announced a €235 million humanitarian aid package for West and Central Africa, targeting millions of people affected by ongoing conflicts, food crises, and displacement across the region.

The funding will support those affected by current conflicts and food crises, forcibly displaced people, host communities, and hard-to-reach populations.

The Commission said the intervention would provide critical assistance including food, healthcare, clean water, shelter, and education support for children affected by crises.

A breakdown of the allocation shows that €75 million will go to the Central Sahel, over €72 million to Chad, €33 million to Nigeria, €22 million to the Central African Republic, over €16.6 million to Cameroon, €4.8 million to Mauritania, and over €6 million to coastal countries. An additional €6.4 million will support projects with a regional scope.

On the situation in the Central Sahel, with over 12.4 million people requiring assistance, the response will prioritise protection alongside food assistance, health and nutrition services, education in emergencies, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene. Funding will also cover disaster preparedness, assistance for humanitarian air transport operations, and actions contributing to the security of interventions and partners.

In Nigeria, the €33 million will support life-saving health and nutrition actions targeting areas of North-East and North-West Nigeria, focusing on areas where services are insufficient and acute malnutrition exceeds emergency thresholds, while also providing protection, food assistance, education in emergencies, and water, sanitation and hygiene. Nigeria is facing its worst food and nutrition crisis in recent years, with almost 35 million people requiring emergency food assistance and 6.4 million children acutely malnourished, of which 2 million are in life-threatening condition.

In Cameroon, almost 3 million people require humanitarian assistance, and among them, 2.2 million are forcibly displaced. In the Central African Republic, 2.3 million people are in need of assistance. The country hosts over 35,000 Sudanese refugees and about 7,000 Central African Republic returnees. Out of the total funding, €4.5 million pledged by the EU at the 3rd International Sudan Conference in Berlin will sustain the response to the consequences of the Sudan crisis in the country.

Hadja Lahbib, EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, described the situation in the region as a convergence of multiple humanitarian emergencies driven by conflict, poverty, hunger, instability, and climate shocks. She recalled witnessing the devastating impact of the crisis during a recent visit to Chad, where families displaced by violence had lost their homes and livelihoods.

"Last year in Chad, I saw the human cost with my own eyes: families who 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," Lahbib said.

"Humanitarian assistance remains a lifeline for millions, providing not just immediate relief but also a chance for affected children to return to learning and rebuild their futures," she added. Lahbib reaffirmed the European Union's commitment to standing with people in crisis as a dependable humanitarian partner focused on saving lives and alleviating suffering.

Sources: European Commission – ECHO (civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu); BusinessDay NG (businessday.ng)