The European Union has unveiled a €235 million humanitarian aid package targeting some of the most vulnerable populations across West and Central Africa, with Nigeria set to receive €33 million.
The funding is aimed at supporting people affected by ongoing conflicts, worsening food insecurity, displacement, and limited access to basic services. It will also assist host communities and hard-to-reach populations struggling under mounting humanitarian pressure.
Of the total allocation, €75 million will go to the Central Sahel, over €72 million to Chad, €22 million to the Central African Republic, €16.6 million to Cameroon, €4.8 million to Mauritania, and more than €6 million to coastal countries. An additional €6.4 million is earmarked for regional humanitarian initiatives.
“West and Central Africa are facing a storm of humanitarian crises, driven by conflict, poverty, hunger, instability, and climate shocks,” said Hadja Lahbib.
“Last year in Chad, I saw the human cost with my own eyes: families who had fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs, their homes lost, their livelihoods destroyed. For millions of people, humanitarian aid is not a choice.
“It is food on the table, clean water, medicine, shelter, and a chance for their children to learn again. The European Union will always stand with people in crisis, as a reliable and principled humanitarian partner, to save lives, ease suffering, and bring hope where it is needed most,” she added.
The EU noted that the region continues to grapple with overlapping humanitarian emergencies largely driven by conflict, compounded by climate change and structural challenges such as governance issues, population pressures, and competition over land and resources.
According to the statement, the crisis epicentre remains the Central Sahel and Lake Chad regions, where violence has triggered widespread displacement within and across borders. The spillover of conflict into coastal countries has further strained already fragile systems.
It also highlighted the impact of the ongoing Sudan crisis on Eastern Chad, alongside persistent crises in North-West Nigeria, parts of Cameroon, and the Central African Republic.
