The World Food Programme (WFP), the largest humanitarian organization fighting hunger worldwide, has unveiled a new country strategic plan (CSP) covering Nigeria’s North-East, North-West and the hosting Cameroonian refugees, with a total budget of US$2.56billion for five years.
It outlined the states to include Borno, Yobe and Adamawa in the North-East; Sokoto, Zamfara and Katsina in the North-West; as well as Cross River and Taraba states.
WFP Representative & Country Director, David Stevenson, who made this known at the unveiling of the new CSP in Abuja on Wednesday, explained that the $2.5bn budget, approved by the Executive Board of the WFP, was meant to address the challenges posed by the deteriorating food and nutrition situation in Northern Nigeria.
Stevenson also disclosed that the WFP was making significant investments in the Nigerian economy by investing over $770,000 (about N17.4bn) per day in the country through the purchase of over 90% of the food it distributes to vulnerable persons in the country.
He said the CSP also sought to contribute to improving good health and wellbeing, inclusive education, gender equality and climate action, as well as 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 $1m every day of assistance. And we are assigning contracts with Nigerian companies, with Nigerian civil society everyday to get the food assistance where it’s needed most.
