The United States has announced the approval of $32.5 million to support Nigeria in addressing the growing hunger crisis, particularly in conflict-affected areas.
According to a statement from the U.S. Mission to Nigeria, the funding will provide food and nutritional assistance to more than 760,000 people, including displaced persons in the North-East and vulnerable communities in the North-West.
The assistance will also include nutrition support for over 41,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women as well as more than 43,000 children, through the use of electronic food vouchers.
The intervention comes at a time when humanitarian organisations have warned of an unprecedented food crisis in northern Nigeria, where insecurity and reduced funding have threatened the operations of nutrition clinics.
The World Food Programme, WFP, had earlier cautioned that millions of people across West and Central Africa risk losing access to emergency food aid due to dwindling global support.
Nigeria continues to grapple with multiple security challenges, including insurgency in the North-East and violent clashes in the North-West and North-Central regions, which have worsened food shortages and displacement.