Nigeria’s North-West region is in focus as the European Union on Wednesday announced a grant of €557 million in humanitarian aid to African countries for 2026.
The amount, which excludes a separate €14.6 allocated to North Africa, is part of the initial €1.9 billion humanitarian aid budget announced by the European Commission for the year.
The European Union’s announcement came at a time when 239 million people need assistance, and major donors are cutting funding.
European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, brought this commitment to Davos on Wednesday, seeking to mobilise private sector finance and innovative solutions that can complement public funding and reach people in need, EU said in a statement.
The EU’s humanitarian aid delivers life-saving assistance where it matters most: emergency food and shelter, critical healthcare, protection for the most vulnerable, and support for children’s education in crisis zones.
As other donors retreat and humanitarian law faces unprecedented strain, the EU said it maintained its commitment as principled aid that reaches people in need, wherever they are.
The initial €1.9 billion allocation includes:
€557 million to West and Central Africa, the Sahel, the Lake Chad basin, North-West Nigeria, Central Africa, Southern Africa, the Great Lakes region and the Greater Horn of Africa; €448 million to the Middle East, particularly Gaza, further to last year’s fragile ceasefire, as well as Iraq, Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon; €145 million to humanitarian needs in Ukraine, as Russia’s invasion enters its fourth year, and an additional €8 million for humanitarian projects in Moldova.
€126 million is allocated to address humanitarian needs in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran; €95 million to Central and South America and the Caribbean, a region facing complex humanitarian crises driven by armed conflicts, widespread violence, political instability, acute inequalities and environmental challenges.
€73 million will be allocated to support Southeast Asia and the Pacific, in particular for the Myanmar crisis and its impact in Bangladesh.
€14.6 million will be allocated to North Africa, a region that remains exposed to complex political, economic and social challenges.
Additionally, more than €415 million is reserved for responding to sudden-onset emergencies worldwide, and maintaining a strategic supply chain.
Mobilising private sector support in Davos
Closing the gap between record humanitarian needs and available resources requires new approaches.
Commissioner Lahbib is in Davos this week to discuss with business leaders and investors how the private sector can bring innovation, scale, and new financing models to humanitarian responses.
Together with the World Economic Forum, she will co-host an event on ‘New Alliances in Aid and Development’ on 22 January. Her full Davos agenda, including bilateral meetings, is available on her calendar.
SOURCE: Independent