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The World Food Programme – WFP has intensified its commitment to stabilizing Nigeria’s fragile humanitarian landscape, announcing an investment of $5 million (approximately N7.4 billion) in shock-response and social protection interventions for 2025.

Disclosed by Acting Country Director Serigne Loum during a technical workshop in Abuja, the funding aims to bridge the gap between emergency relief and long-term resilience.

This initiative, launched in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, focuses on operationalizing Standard Operating Procedures – SOPs to ensure that aid reaches the most vulnerable populations swiftly during climate or conflict-driven disasters.

It is worth noting that Nigeria is currently grappling with a severe food crisis, with an estimated 35 million people facing food insecurity, largely concentrated in the conflict-torn northeast. Loum noted that over a decade of overlapping crises has overstretched the capacity of both national disaster agencies and international humanitarian partners.

By integrating “shock-responsive” mechanisms into the national social protection framework, the WFP aims to transform how the country handles sudden disruptions, shifting from reactive emergency feeding to proactive, system-based support that can be scaled up instantly when a crisis hits.

A cornerstone of this strategy is the use of anticipatory action, which leverages data to provide assistance before a disaster occurs. In 2025, the WFP successfully supported 70,000 individuals in Adamawa State with anticipatory aid ahead of predicted flooding, allowing families to take preventive measures.

Building on this success, the agency plans to expand its reach to at least 80,000 people in 2026. Loum emphasized that Nigeria’s extensive database of poor and vulnerable households serves as a vital asset, providing a solid foundation for targeting assistance with greater precision and efficiency.

Despite these advancements, the broader regional and global outlook remains precarious. The WFP previously warned that ongoing global conflicts and high oil prices could push millions more into acute hunger across West and Central Africa. While the agency has earmarked $2.5 billion for its 2023–2027 Nigeria Country strategic plan, it continues to face significant hurdles.

Only last year, severe funding shortfalls threatened the suspension of life-saving nutrition assistance for 1.3 million people in the northeast, highlighting the volatile nature of humanitarian financing in an increasingly unstable world.

Looking forward, the WFP sees Nigeria as a potential continental leader in disaster management. Loum stated that if the current protocols are effectively implemented, Nigeria could become a “standard reference point” for peer learning across Africa.

By focusing on policy coordination and strengthening government-led emergency systems, the WFP seeks to move beyond direct food distribution toward a sustainable model of “zero hunger” that empowers the Nigerian government to protect its citizens against future shocks.