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  • WFP earmarks $2.5b to fight hunger, malnutrition in Nigeria

    WFP earmarks $2.5b to fight hunger, malnutrition in Nigeria

    The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) says it has budgeted 2.5 billion dollars in the 2023 to-2027  Nigeria Country Strategy Plans (CSP) geared towards achieving zero hunger and improved nutrition across the country.

    Mr Seriene Loum, Head of Programme, WFP said this at the Co-creation workshop organised by the organisation in collaboration with National Social Investment Programme Agency (N-SIPA) on Wednesday in Abuja,

    Loum who represented WFP Country Director, said WFP strategic goal was to ensure a word without hunger in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (1 and 2) on poverty and zero hunger.

    He said the organisation would work closely with member states of United Nations including Nigeria to mobilise resources to be able to fully implement the programmes.

    “WFP Nigeria CSP 2023 t0 2027 a five-year project has a dedicated activity for strengthening institutional capacities and enhanced enabling environment in line with national target to achieve zero hunger by 2030.

    “The project focus on food technology, fortification of  supply chain management, improving nutrition and emergency preparedness responses.

    “2023 to 2027 have five pillars and each of them focus on zero hunger and improved nutrition

    “We have  some interventions that focus  on emergency response, making sure that people will not go to bed  hungry which are lifesaving activities that aim to provide immediate food assistant to people that are in need,’’ he said.

    Loum identified Nigeria as operating one of the biggest social safety nets programme in Africa.

    He said it was also encouraging that Nigeria had an ambitious safety nets programme target at uplifting hundreds of millions of its populace out of poverty.

    He  said: “considering the current economic trend and level of vulnerabilities in Nigeria the Cadre Harmonised (C result of October 2024 reveals that about 25 million Nigerians are acutely food insecure and projected to reach 33 million between June to August 2025.

    “It is therefore expedient that all stakeholders most especially, WFP need to work together with the Federal Government for this very ambitious goal to be achieved,’’ he said.

    Also, Prof. Badamasi Lawal Chief Executive Officer, NSIPA said the seminar was meant to harness collective expertise and resources to achieve meaningful impact in the lives of Nigerians.

    Represented by Mrs Uche Obi, Director, Human Resources Management, he commended WFP for its commitment to supporting Nigeria’s efforts to address poverty, hunger and malnutrition.

    According to her, WFP partnership is a testament to the power of international cooperation and the shared vision of creating a more equitable and prosperous society.

    “The NSIP launched in 2016, elevated to a full-fledged Agency in 2023 has made significant strides in addressing poverty, inequality, and social exclusion.

    “Through various programmes, including the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), Conditional Cash Transfer Programme (NCTO), Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), Grant for Vulnerable Groups (GVG) and N-Power, we have reached millions of Nigerians.

    “We are providing them with opportunities for economic empowerment, education, and improved well-being .

    “The WFP’s expertise in food security, nutrition and emergency response will be invaluable in enhancing our programs and achieving greater impact.

    “This collaboration will enable us to leverage each other’s strengths, share knowledge, and develop innovative solutions to address the complex challenges facing our nation,’’ he said.

    He said WFP support had made it possible for the Federal Government to pull stakeholders in meaningful discussions and in shaping the future of their partnership.

    “Your investment in this partnership is a testament to your commitment to Nigeria’s development and the well-being of its people,’’ he said.

  • 33m Nigerians to face food crisis in 2025 – Report

    33m Nigerians to face food crisis in 2025 – Report

    The Cadre Harmonisé (CH) Report for October has predicted that at least 33.1 million people in 26 States and the FCT would face food and nutrition crisis between June and August 2025.

    The prediction came from the CH Analysis Report released on Friday in Abuja. The analysis was conducted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and other partners.

    The affected states are Sokoto, Zamfara, Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, Taraba, Katsina, Jigawa, Kano, Bauchi, Plateau, Kaduna, Kebbi, Niger and Benue. Others are Cross River, Enugu, Edo, Abia, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kwara, Ogun, Lagos, Rivers, and the FCT.

    The report indicates that this figure includes 514,474 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Borno, Sokoto, and Zamfara. It revealed that approximately 25 million people across the 26 states and the FCT are currently experiencing food crises.

    Kouacou Koffy, FAO Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS called for urgent attention and a unified approach to address food and nutrition security in the country.

    He stated, “With the concerted efforts of the government, CH stakeholders, and the international community, we can move closer to alleviating hunger and reducing suffering for Nigeria’s most vulnerable populations.

    “We are facing unprecedented challenges affecting livelihoods and food and nutrition security globally, regionally, and nationally”.

    Koffy said that Nigeria is experiencing a combination of shocks, including economic factors affecting the prices of staple crops and agricultural commodities, climate-related events such as floods and droughts, and insecurity.

    He explained that the goal of CH workshops is to analyse available food security data and contributing factors to identify populations and areas at risk of food and nutrition insecurity in the country.

    According to him, these workshops also aim to propose appropriate measures to prevent or mitigate ongoing food crises.

    He stated, “CH analysis is the most reliable and widely accepted early warning tool for humanitarian programming, food security, and livelihood response targeting, as well as for prioritising development programmes”.

    Temitope Fashedemi, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, pledged the government’s commitment to applying the findings of the report to guide food and nutrition security programmes across states.

    Balama Dauda, CH Focal Person for the National Programme on Food Security, identified key drivers of the food crisis as high prices of foodstuffs and non-food items, flooding, and insecurity.

  • ECOWAS, WFP provide $1.6m to fight rising malnutrition in North West

    ECOWAS, WFP provide $1.6m to fight rising malnutrition in North West

    The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission and the World Food Program (WFP) have provided $1.6million to help fight rising malnutrition and poverty in Katsina and Sokoto states.

    The areas have witnessed a rise in poverty and malnutrition as a result of a surge in banditry and internal displacement in the North West.

    Donation of palliative to the North West by the WFP is expected to increase to the troubled North West region as a total of 5,00O metric tonne of wheat donated by the Ukrainian government is scheduled to be received at the weekend.

    The Deputy Head of Programme WFP, Manuela Reinfield disclosed on Friday at the launch of the second phase of the ECOWAS, WFP, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affair Stabilization Project for 2024/2025 in Katsina.

    Reinfield, while noting that the project took off at the right time, given the deteriorating food security situation and insecurity situation in the North West, said Stabilization Project aims at providing monthly cash transfer support of N11,500 to about 14,500 beneficiaries in both Katsina and Sokoto states for the next six months.

    She added that Katsina and Zamfara states would get unconditional food assistance with the wheat grain expected to arrive in the country from Ukraine on Sunday

    The Permanent Representative of Nigeria in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Amb. Sani Nuhu explained that the regional bloc which had established a Stabilization Fund to assist victims of terrorism and banditry in the region decided on humanitarian assistance to the Northwest because of the sad situation

    He said: “ECOWAS Commission came up with the idea of setting aside $1 million to be given to Nigeria every year to come up with a program on providing social alleviation initiatives to victims of insecurity in the northeast and the Northwest.

     

     

  • HUNGER! 31.8m Nigerians to face acute food insecurity in June, August – WFP warns

    HUNGER! 31.8m Nigerians to face acute food insecurity in June, August – WFP warns

    Hunger looming as the World Food Price has projected that 31.8 million Nigerians (16 per cent of the population analysed) are projected to face crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity between June and August 2024.

    WFP, in its latest June to October 2024 outlook sourced from its X account, said nearly 1 million people in the country are projected to be in a state of emergency mode of acute food insecurity.

    Highlighting the five phases of food insecurity on a scale of 1 to 5, WFP explained that phase 1 represents minimal food insecurity; phase 2 stressed food insecurity; phase 3 crisis food insecurity; phase 4 emergency food insecurity and phase 5 catastrophic food insecurity.

    The statement partly reads, “Between June and August 2024, 31.8 million people (16 per cent of the population analysed) are projected to face crisis or worse ( Phase 3 or above) levels of acute food insecurity, with nearly 1 million people projected to be in Emergency ( Phase 4).

    This represents a 3 percentage point increase in the number of acutely food insecure people compared to the same time in the previous year. Acute malnutrition levels remain high, above 10 per cent, in the northern states (Borno, Yobe, Sokota, Katsina and Zamfara), with 4.4 million children and 585 000 pregnant and breastfeeding women projected to be acutely malnourished in 2024.”

    The statement projected that food insecurity would likely remain highly concerning, due to a multidimensional crisis driven by weakening macroeconomic conditions, heightened insecurity and subdued agricultural production in the northern part of the country.

    The security situation is likely to continue to deteriorate, exacerbating population displacement. This is a particular concern for the northern states, which have already seen an uptick in insurgency, banditry and kidnapping in the first quarter of 2024.

    “Insecurity has been disrupting agricultural livelihoods and affecting the functionality of markets.321 Insecurity results in high humanitarian access constraints, particularly in the northeast, restricting the delivery of assistance to government-controlled towns and their immediate surroundings.

    “This is a particular concern for the northern states, which have already seen an uptick in insurgency, banditry and kidnapping in the first quarter of 2024. The latter increased by 44 per cent in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Insecurity has been disrupting agricultural livelihoods and affecting the functionality of markets. Insecurity results in high humanitarian access constraints, particularly in the northeast, restricting the delivery of assistance to government-controlled towns and their immediate surroundings.”

    WFP stated that in March 2024, the inflation rate exceeded 33 per cent year-on-year, eroding the frail purchasing power of households in a country where 38 per cent of Nigerians live below the poverty line.

    “On top of that, the naira has been strongly fluctuating, registering a yearly depreciation of 60 per cent in February 2024. Due to below-average cereal production in 2023 and high transport costs, prices of major staples such as rice and maize were 105 and 241 percent higher, respectively, on a yearly basis, in February 2024.

    “During the outlook, import restrictions amid abating foreign reserves, increasing farming costs, and high levels of conflict in the North East, North West and parts of the North Central zones will likely impact the 2024 agricultural season. This will cause reduced yields and elicit further inflationary pressures.”

     

  • Displacement in Gaza, Israel: WFP begins distribution of food to 100,000 Gazans

    Displacement in Gaza, Israel: WFP begins distribution of food to 100,000 Gazans

    The World Food Programme (WFP) has begun distributing food for up to 100,000 internally displaced Gazans seeking refuge in UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) shelters with fresh bread and canned food.

    UN spokesperson, Stephanie Dujarric, said this at a news conference on Monday in New York.

    “In the next few days, WFP plans on starting to roll out assistance to up to 800,000 people with food and cash assistance as the situation develops, provided the necessary funding is made available.

    “WFP needs 16.8 million dollars to reach 805,000 people in the next month,” he said.

    According to him, over 120,000 people have been internally displaced in Gaza due to concerns over their protection and the destruction of homes.

    The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, is sheltering roughly 137,000 people in 83 of its schools across the Gaza Strip.

    Six health care workers have been killed and four others injured, with seven health care facilities and nine ambulances damaged.

    Mass displacement due to protection concerns and damage to civilian property have also been observed in Israel.

    In Gaza, humanitarians report that damage to water, sanitation and hygiene facilitates has undermined services to more than 400,000 people.

    The Gaza Power Plant – now the only source of electricity – could run out of fuel within days.

    Early Sunday, the UN peacekeeping operation in Lebanon, UNFL, “detected several rockets fired from southeast Lebanon toward Israeli-occupied territory in the general area of Kafr Chouba and artillery fire from Israel to Lebanon in response,” according to the mission.

    The UN Security Council-mandated mission, operating along an area known as the “Blue Line,” was deployed in 1978 to restore peace between Israel and Lebanon.

    “We are in contact with authorities on both sides of the Blue Line, at all levels, to contain the situation and avoid a more serious escalation. Our peacekeepers remain in their positions and on task,” UNIFIL said in a statement.

    UNIFIL said peacekeepers continued to work, “some from shelters, for their safety.

    “We urge everyone to exercise restraint and make use of UNIFIL’s liaison and coordination mechanisms to de-escalate to prevent a fast deterioration of the security situation.”

    In a related development, the UN and partners continue to ramp up response to the 6.3-magnitude earthquake that struck Herat province in western Afghanistan on Saturday, killing more than 2,000 people.

    The epicentre of the quake was in Zindajan District, where reports indicate that 100 per cent of homes have been destroyed, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said on Monday.

    It is estimated that more than 12,000 people have been affected across five districts of Herat province. Several hundred households have also been displaced to the provincial capital, also called Herat.

    Numbers are expected to rise in the coming days, as search and rescue efforts and assessments continue.

    The UN has deployed assessment teams to the area and is providing emergency shelter supplies and other items, including blankets, warm clothes, food, hygiene kits and water buckets.

    Partners have also deployed health teams and are providing trauma and emergency surgery kits.

    The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, Daniel Endres, has also approved 5 million dollars allocation for a fund for Afghanistan to support immediate relief efforts. (

     

  • WFP pledges to commit $2.5bn to fight hunger in Nigeria

    WFP pledges to commit $2.5bn to fight hunger in Nigeria

    The World Food Programme (WFP) has pledged to commit 2.5 billion dollars to strengthen and support Nigeria’s efforts towards sustainable food security and zero hunger across the country.

    The WFP Country Director, Mr David Stevesson, disclosed this when he led the UN agency’s team to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, on Wednesday in Abuja.

    “We talked about zero hunger, we talked about humanitarian hubs in every local government area in the country, we talked about the world food programme.

    ”The potential to support those hubs through buying food locally and assisting the needy with cash transfers and food.

    “Let me announce here that the World Food Programme is committed to spending 2.5 billion dollars to fight hunger in the next five years in Nigeria,” he said.

    Stevesson said that the agency had already captured 2.1 million beneficiaries under the programme with the hope of maintaining working relationship with the ministry to achieve the target.

    He expressed the agency’s readiness to support the Federal Government’s determination to address humanitarian crises and poverty issues, especially as it related to food security.

    ”We are excited by President Bola Tinubu’s commitment and drive to eradicate poverty and reduce humanitarian crises in Nigeria.

    ”The new energy which the Minister is bringing into the space gives us hope that we will accomplish a lot together,” he said.

    While congratulating the minister on her appointment, the WFP Country Director expressed optimism on the ability of the minister to deliver on the mandate.

    In her response, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, said that the intervention would go a long way to address some of the humanitarian challenges affecting the country.

    According to her, “Zero Hunger” is one of the projects the Ministry has initiated as part of poverty and humanitarian response efforts.

    ”We, therefore, appeal to the WFP to key into it by working with the Ministry to achieve results.

    ”Because, this intervention will go a long way to address some of the biggest challenges the country is facing” she said.

    Edu told the WFP delegation that over 133 million people in Nigeria are affected by multidimensional poverty.

    She said that the National Homegrown School Feeding was one aspect of the Zero Hunger Project.

    ”The Ministry will be working on different nutritional food programme that will target pregnant women, children under the age of five years and school pupils.

    ”Feeding persons who are affected by humanitarian crises, the aged including refugees that have found themselves within our space.

    ” Currently, we have over 80,000 persons living as refugees across Nigeria,” she said.

    She said that the ministry had introduced an innovative way of rejigging the humanitarian response in the country.

    “Part of the innovation we are bringing on board is what we call humanitarian hub.

    ”Because we want to create 774 of these humanitarian hubs in each local government across Nigeria,” the minister assured.

  • FG spends N12bn on school feeding monthly — National Coordinator

    FG spends N12bn on school feeding monthly — National Coordinator

    The Federal Government spends about N12 billion on the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programmes (NHGSFP) monthly under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (MHADMSD).

    Dr Umar Bindir, National Coordinator, National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) of the Ministry stated this on Monday.

    Bindir disclosed this at a two-day stakeholders consultative workshop on the development of a national policy for NHGSFP in Abuja.

    He underscored the need for the country to have a national policy on school feeding programme to ensure sustainability.

    According to him, the school feeding programme is very expensive as over 10 million children are fed at the rate of N100 meal per child as approved by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He said that the programme was a continuation of deliberate strategies of the NSIP to institutionalise the clusters.

    “Today we are focusing on the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme with the support of the World Food Programme (WFP) to develop an inclusive policy for NHGSFP.

    “This is to ensure that it is sustainable, measurable and highly impactful as directed by Mr President.

    “As we speak we are feeding an average of 10 million children with the potential of that number increasing to 12 million probably in the next few weeks or months.

    “Based on the impact of the programme – attracting children to school, ensuring the children are healthy, the children of the poor and vulnerable attending school longer it is necessary that the programme is sustained,’’ he said.

    In his remarks, Mr Kim Do-Hwan, Head, Capacity Strengthening and Policy Coherence, UN World Food Program, said the objective of the workshop was to engage critical stakeholders, who would jointly identify and agree on key components of a national school feeding policy.

    Do-Hwan said that the policy development process would take into account broad considerations that would benefit the NHGSFP as it was being implemented across the country.

    He further said that the policy would serve as a foundation for the success and sustainability of the NHGSFP.

    “It will remain as a guiding document that ensures continued investment from national and sub-national stakeholders beyond any singular political dispensation.

    “The NHGSFP is a key pathway for the government of Nigeria to achieve one of its own objectives to advance progress towards the Sustainability Development Goal (SDG 2) on zero hunger.

    “This aims to end hunger, achieve food security, improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.’’

    He, therefore, assured UNWFP’s commitment to support the achievement of SDG 2 in the country through effective partnerships, knowledge sharing and capacity strengthening.

    Also speaking, one of the participants, Dr Onallo Akpa, Director–General, Poultry Association of Nigeria, said that the essence of the programme was to ensure that the children have nutritious meal.

    Akpa said that the school feeding programme encouraged academic and community development, hence the need for sustainability.

    “We are here to discuss on how to develop a framework that will be compassing for the entire country in developing the school feeding programme.

    “As poultry mangers the essence is to see how we can mobilise our members into supplying the needed quantity of eggs into the school feeding programme,’’ he said.

  • Six innovative entrepreneurs win 2021 Zero Hunger Sprint Competition

    Six innovative entrepreneurs win 2021 Zero Hunger Sprint Competition

    About six Nigerian entrepreneurs have won this year’s ‘Zero Hunger Sprint – Nigeria’s Innovation Challenge’ held in Lagos last Friday.

    The competition aims to foster innovative approaches to end hunger, championed by Nigeria’s entrepreneurs.

    The six young men and women received cheques totaling N120 million to support their start- ups. In addition to the cash awards, the start-ups will also receive mentorship from the investor companies and participate in a six-months’ Sprint Programme designed by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

    The winning innovative entrepreneurs and the amounts they received are:

    Jerry Oche: ZOWASEL (an online marketplace and crop testing service that connects smallholder farmers with premium buyers): N42 million;

    Adepeju Jaiyeoba: COLOURFUL GIGGLES (a natural baby food company working to fight hidden hunger by making baby food affordable and readily available): N21 million;

    Tosin Ayodele: AGRORITE (a company which helps smallholder farmers to access credit, data driven advisory services and premium markets): N21 million;

    Ayoola Dominic: KOOLBOKS (a company producing eco-friendly and easily accessible refrigeration solutions, powered by solar energy and equipped with Pay-As-You-Go technology): N21 million;

    Luther Lawoyin: PRICEPALLY (a digital food cooperative enabling families or small businesses to share bulk food items among a group or buy food in bulk directly from farmers or wholesalers, making it cheaper and fresher than retail): N10 million, and

    Michael Ogundare: CROP2CASH (a company which creates reliable, verifiable credit scores and risk profiles for farmers to unlock much-needed finance to improve their productivity and income): N5 million.

    The initiative and the backing it receives help to support and contribute to Nigeria’s own efforts at achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 – which aims to bring an end to hunger.

     

    The funding for the first Zero Hunger Sprint in Nigeria was provided by five large corporations who are passionate in supporting innovative ideas in the food security and nutrition sector, under the Zero Hunger Roundtable: Promasidor; Guinness Nigeria; TGI Group; Nigerian Breweries and Tolaram Group.

    The Zero Hunger Roundtable is a multi-sector forum aimed at collectively addressing food challenges as a part of the UN’s global mandate to achieve Zero Hunger by the year 2030.

     

  • COVID-19: UN sounds alarm of global hunger

    COVID-19: UN sounds alarm of global hunger

    The number of people facing acute food insecurity could nearly double this year to 265 million due to the economic fallout of COVID-19, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday.

    The impact of lost tourism revenues, falling remittances and travel and other restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic are expected to leave some 130 million people acutely hungry this year, adding to around 135 million already in that category.

    “COVID-19 is potentially catastrophic for millions who are already hanging by a thread,” said Arif Husain, chief economist and director of research, assessment and monitoring at the World Food Programme (WFP).

    Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have hit nearly 2.5 million globally.

    Businesses are coping with lost revenue and disrupted supply chains as factory shutdowns and quarantine measures spread across the globe, restricting movement and commerce.

    Unemployment is skyrocketing, while policymakers across countries race to implement fiscal and monetary measures to alleviate the financial burden on citizens and shore up economies under severe strain.

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on 9 April said the coronavirus pandemic had instigated an economic downturn the likes of which the world has not experienced since the Great Depression.

    On 15 April, the IMF warned economies in Asia would see no growth this year, for the first time in 60 years, with the service sector particularly under pressure.

  • No civilian killed in Boko Haram attack on WFP’s convoy – Army

    The Nigerian Army on Monday denied the killings of civilians in an attack coordinated by the Boko Haram insurgents against the World Food Programme (WFP’s) trucks on Saturday.

    Maj.-Gen. Rogers Nicholas, the Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, gave the clarification in a Short Service Message (SMS) to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri.

    Nicholas said that the troops escorting the trucks had killed six insurgents and recovered weapons.

    He explained that there were no civilian casualties in the attack, adding that he was at Dikwa when the incident occurred.

    “There was an ambush but the soldiers killed six Boko Haram insurgents and recovered weapons. No civilian was killed.

    “I was in Dikwa that Saturday and this happened while I was within,” Nicholas said.

    However, the Wold Food Programme (WFP) on Sunday said a driver of its hired truck and three other persons were killed in an attack at Ngala in Gamboru-Ngala Local Government Area of Borno.

    Adedeji Ademigbuji, the Communication Associate of the WFP, said in a statement issued in Maiduguri that a convoy of the WFP’s hired trucks conveying food items were attacked by gunmen 35 kilometres South-West of Ngala on Saturday.

    He disclosed that the convoy escorted by the military were conveying foodstuff for distribution to the vulnerable Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the area.

    He said that a driver of the hired truck, his assistant and two other persons were killed in the attack.

    “WFP confirmed that a convoy escorted by the Nigerian Military including WFP hired trucks were subject of attack by armed groups, 35 km southwest of Ngala in Borno, on Dec. 16.

    “Four people, including the driver of a WFP hired truck and his assistant, were killed in the incident.

    “WFP is working with the authorities to determine the whereabouts of the trucks,” Ademigbuji said.