Germany Increases Humanitarian Aid To Sahel, Lake Chad Basin By €24m To Combat Flood Crisis

The Government of Germany has released an additional regional contribution of 24 Million Euros (N44.2 Billion) to its humanitarian assistance in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin region to support people affected by the severe flood disasters.

Lake Chad, a freshwater lake located in the Sahelian zone of west-central Africa at the conjunction of Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger and is situated in an interior basin formerly occupied by a much larger ancient sea that is sometimes called Mega-Chad.

About five million people are said to be currently facing critical food insecurity on a daily basis in Nigeria’s North Eastern BAY states alone.

By taking up its responsibility as one of the largest humanitarian donors, Germany said it “stands by Nigeria and other African countries’ side in these times of need.”

So far, the total German humanitarian assistance in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin region amounts to €100 Million EUR (N185 Billion) in 2024

Background Information

Germany has already contributed €20 million in bilateral humanitarian assistance to Nigeria in 2024.

In addition to that, Germany is now adding 2.15 million Euros in bilateral assistance to the Nigerian Humanitarian Fund, totalling 22.15 million Euros and is now boosting the regional flood response with 24 million Euros.

Although additional regional funds for the Lake Chad Basin (2024) figures are not yet available, 2023 was €73.8 million.

The Ambassador of Germany to Nigeria, Annett Günther, in a statement announcing the donation and sent to Arise News in Abuja on Wednesday, said helping people in need and maintaining dignified living conditions is an inherent part of Germany’s foreign policy values.

The statement said since the flooding meets an already ongoing food and nutrition crisis and destroyed thousands of hectares of cropland, “tackling food insecurity is one of the priorities of the flood response.”

The statement said through the German additional funding, the World Food Programme (WFP) has boosted its nutrition interventions by providing cash assistance to vulnerable families or setting up food kitchens in Maiduguri.

“The Federal Government of Germany has been active in the region for many years and stands firmly alongside affected people and communities in need”, it said.

The UN’s Refugee Agency (UNHCR) extends its complementary initiatives to support the most vulnerable, like single parents or persons with disabilities who lost their home and belongings.

The German funding helps to provide shelter, blankets and tarpaulins. While the additional funding enables organisations to do more in the current multiple humanitarian crises, ongoing projects of German partners like Malteser International have also delivered highly needed water and sanitation infrastructure from day one, Günther emphasised.

In addition to its regional approach, Germany has stepped up its support to the Nigerian Humanitarian Fund (NHF) by further 2.15 Million EUR emphasising its longstanding support as a major donor to the country-based pooled fund.

Annett Günther, said, “The NHF supplies life-saving assistance without delay and is one of Germany’s strategic instruments to reach those Nigerians in need. It provides swift and effective humanitarian assistance highly needed in the ongoing emergency and natural disaster like the current flooding.”

The statement said the total German humanitarian assistance in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin region amounts to 100 Million EUR (~ N185 billion) in 2024 so far.

Apart from humanitarian assistance, Germany has supported the Lake Chad Region with numerous different programmes worth hundreds of millions of Euros, both in development cooperation as well as in stabilisation efforts.

One notable programme, the statement said, is the Regional Stabilisation Facility that aims at bringing back security and basic state services to communities affected by the terrorist insurgency.

Friday Olokor

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