To address the pressing issue of malnutrition in North-West Nigeria, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have jointly provided $1 million in multi-purpose cash and nutritious food.
The support, part of a stabilization fund established to address the region’s food crisis, aims to provide critical assistance to vulnerable populations. WFP contributed $600,000 to the fund, which will be used to address malnutrition, particularly among pregnant and lactating women and children under two.
The initiative will involve therapeutic supplementary feeding, such as soya-corn blend, for women and unconditional food assistance, including the distribution of 5,000 metric tonnes of wheat from Ukraine to Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara States.
The $1 million provided by ECOWAS will be directly distributed to beneficiaries, who will receive wheat grains for the next three months. Similar programs are planned for other local government areas in the region later this year.
Musa Nuhu, the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to ECOWAS and Chairperson of the ECOWAS Permanent Representative Committee, explained that the stabilization fund was established to assist victims of terrorism and banditry in the region. The fund is allocated $1 million annually to support social alleviation initiatives for those affected by insecurity in the North-East and North-West.
The Katsina State Government expressed its gratitude for the support from ECOWAS, WFP, and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. The project will empower state institutions and transfer best practices for implementation.
The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation carefully selected 14,694 vulnerable people from Katsina and Sokoto States to benefit from the program. These efforts aim to ensure a future of peace, stability, and prosperity for all in the region.
