The Federal Government has requested a $1 million grant from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to provide emergency food aid for Nigerians affected by the 2024 floods.
This is according to a proposal document obtained by Naijaonpoint.
This intervention is aimed at mitigating the widespread displacement and food insecurity caused by the disaster, which affected 29 states, displaced over 200,000 people, and destroyed more than 500,000 hectares of farmland.
The proposed initiative targets 122,253 individuals across 16 of the worst-hit districts, offering food packages containing 25kg of rice and 10kg of beans.
The food distribution, scheduled between October 2024 and February 2025, will complement ongoing efforts by the Federal Government, which has already distributed rice and spaghetti to affected households.
The proposal document read: “The Project aims to complement the Government’s efforts and those of development partners to save lives and protect livelihoods in the current crisis caused by the flood. This objective will be achieved through the provision of emergency food transfers.
“The Bank, through SRF, will contribute USD 1,000,000 in response to the appeal, while WFP will deploy its field capacity to identify, target and provide relief emergency support to the target beneficiaries.
“The funding from the Bank’s SRF will be used to complement the Government’s interim response which is providing 25kg of rice and 10kg of spaghetti by delivering complementary pulses and rice to cover an estimated 122,253 people (24,450 households) in the sixteen most affected districts.
“The aim is to provide consumption needs to affected households to diversify their food basket and address essential needs during four critical months between October 2024 and February 2025, thus enabling them to protect their livelihoods and avoid long-term deterioration of their food and nutrition security.
“The support will be a one-off food transfer of 35 kilograms (25kg of rice and 10kg of beans) per household.”
The $1 million grant from the AfDB’s Special Relief Fund (SRF) will support food procurement and distribution efforts led by the World Food Programme (WFP).
Known for its expertise in humanitarian operations, the WFP will oversee fieldwork, including beneficiary targeting and food delivery.
The intervention will supply 35 kilograms of food per household to ensure dietary diversity and address essential nutritional needs during the four critical months of recovery.
The initiative aligns with United Nations-led efforts to mitigate the socio-economic impact of the floods, which have deepened Nigeria’s fragile economic conditions.
The AfDB grant will cover the procurement, logistics, and operational costs of food distribution. Post-distribution monitoring will also be conducted to assess the program’s impact on food security and the well-being of beneficiaries.
Naijaonpoint earlier reported that the United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), committed over $6.5 million to aid flood-related humanitarian efforts in Nigeria.
Naijaonpoint earlier reported that the United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), committed over $6.5 million to aid flood-related humanitarian efforts in Nigeria.
The agency has provided nearly $100 million to Nigeria to address various humanitarian needs, including those arising from other natural disasters.
This amount was only spent in the second quarter of the year, as nothing was spent for this budgetary allocation in Q1 2024.
Borno’s budget allocation for erosion and flood control remains underutilized. The 2024 revised budget earmarked N1.653 billion for flood control, yet only 1.2% of this has been spent, raising questions about the state’s preparedness and commitment to addressing this recurrent issue.