ABUJA: Nigeria and other African countries are set to receive a major humanitarian lifeline as the European Union earmarked €557 million for West and Central Africa in its €1.9 billion humanitarian aid budget for 2026, with North-West Nigeria listed among priority areas.
The allocation was announced on Wednesday by the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, amid growing global humanitarian pressures and sharp funding cuts by major donors at a time when an estimated 239 million people worldwide require urgent assistance.
The €557 million package, which excludes a separate €14.6 million set aside for North Africa, forms part of the EU’s initial 2026 humanitarian envelope unveiled by the European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib.
The funding will support emergency food assistance, shelter, healthcare, protection for vulnerable populations and education for children affected by conflict and displacement.
According to the EU, the funds will cover humanitarian needs across West and Central Africa, the Sahel, the Lake Chad Basin, North-West Nigeria, Central and Southern Africa, the Great Lakes region and the Greater Horn of Africa.
The Middle East will receive €448 million, with a strong focus on Gaza, alongside Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon, while Ukraine is allocated €145 million as Russia’s invasion enters its fourth year.
Additional allocations include €126 million for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran; €95 million for Central and South America and the Caribbean; €73 million for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, particularly the Myanmar crisis; and €14.6 million for North Africa.
More than €415 million has also been reserved for rapid response to sudden-onset emergencies and to maintain a global humanitarian supply chain.
The EU said Lahbib took the commitment to the World Economic Forum in Davos to mobilise private sector support and innovative financing to bridge the widening gap between record humanitarian needs and available public funding.
The bloc stressed that, despite increasing strain on international humanitarian law, it remains committed to principled aid that reaches people in need wherever they are.
