The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has unveiled a Country Strategic Plan (CSP) for Nigeria worth $2.5 billion aimed at addressing hunger and malnutrition in some parts of North East, North West other selected States.
The states are Borno, Yobe and Adamawa in North East, Sokoto, Zamfara and Katsina in The North West then Cross River and Taraba.
The WFP Representatives and Country Director, David Stevenson disclosed this during a press conference alongside the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo.
He said CSP defines WFP’s entire portfolio of assistance within the country for 2023-2027.
“The country strategy is valued at $2.56 billion. That’s over $500 million a year of assistance for Nigeria in Nigeria to achieve food security and improve nutrition by 2030”, he said.
Stevenson further stated that the CSP was designed to support Nigeria in achieving food security and improved nutrition by 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 2).
He said the CSP also seeks to contribute to progress in good health and wellbeing, inclusive education, gender equality and climate action and foster a reinforced partnership in strengthening the national humanitarian and development response in accordance with the SDGs.
“My job as country representative in Nigeria is effectively running a big business, a business that is valued at about $1 million every day. of assistance.
“And we’re assigning contracts with Nigerian companies with Nigerian Civil Society every day to get the food assistance where it’s needed most either local purchase food, which helps the Nigerian economy, particularly the egg agricultural economy, or vouchers, where we contract Nigerian retailers to deliver food which is provided to Nigerians against the vouchers they receive as qualified recipients or straight cash transfers which of course have a direct effect on the local economy.
“This is a new WFP investing in the Nigerian economy, meeting the needs of Nigerians where it’s needed most but also contributing to agricultural, productive food systems solutions. And that’s really what we want the country strategy to be doing and the next five years, and we’re confident that our Executive Board has put together a strategy that really will deliver on results in Nigeria”, he noted.
The Country Director also said that WFP will be supporting the government, with life-saving Crisis Response assistance and also life-changing resilience-building activities, together with technical assistance and policy advice to help maximise the return on the government investment in food security and nutrition.
“All of this is aligned with Nigeria’s national development plan with the Nigeria agenda 2050, the National multi sectoral plan of action for food and nutrition in Nigeria and then Nigeria’s national humanitarian development peace framework”, he added.
On his part, the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo said that the partnership that has existed between the Ministry and the WFP has been cordial and has achieved several milestones in the humanitarian space.
“To be specific, the stabilisation fund project was implemented in six Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the North East and North West respectively with a total of 27,432 persons impacted across the selected LGAs”, he noted.
While presenting the Summary of the CSP, the Head of Programme at WFP, Serigne Loum said to address the challenges posed by the deteriorating food and nutrition situation, WFP will integrate its dual mandate by working on the humanitarian-development-peace nexus applying targets emergency responses that save lives while opening shock-responsive pathways to rapid recovery and resilience.
He said this approach will be achieved through using gender transformative, nutrition mainstreaming climate-smart and conflict-sensitive approaches.
Loum said WFP Nigeria covers the North East, North West and states hosting Cameroonian refugees with a total budget of $2.5 billion for five years.
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