Abuja, Nigeria | June 16 2025
The European Union (EU) has announced the allocation of ₦900 million to support efforts aimed at addressing malnutrition in Northern Nigeria, where millions of children face life-threatening nutritional deficiencies.
The funding, according to a statement from the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, will be directed toward scaling up emergency nutrition responses, improving access to therapeutic food, and supporting long-term food security initiatives in the most affected states.
The intervention will be implemented in partnership with key humanitarian organisations, including UNICEF, World Food Programme (WFP), and local NGOs, with a focus on reaching severely malnourished children under five, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers.
Recent reports by UNICEF indicate that over 2 million children in Northern Nigeria are acutely malnourished, with high-risk states including Borno, Yobe, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara. The prolonged insurgency, economic hardship, and climate change have worsened food insecurity in the region.
The Federal Government has welcomed the EU’s intervention. The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, described the funding as timely, pledging transparency and efficiency in its deployment.
The EU has been a longstanding development partner to Nigeria, contributing over €100 million in humanitarian assistance over the past five years, particularly in nutrition, health, and education.
