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The European Union has announced a humanitarian support package of €500,000—equivalent to over ₦900 million—to combat the escalating crisis of severe acute malnutrition among children and mothers in northeastern Nigeria.
According to a statement released by the EU Commission in Nigeria, the funds will be disbursed through the Nigeria Red Cross Society. The assistance is expected to benefit around 170,000 at-risk households across nine states identified as high-risk: Adamawa, Benue, Borno, Katsina, Niger, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara.
The EU’s aid prioritises emergency nutritional support, particularly targeting more than 30,000 children affected by severe acute malnutrition.
“Community outreach and screening will be integrated with outpatient care using ready-to-use therapeutic food for uncomplicated cases, while critical cases will be referred to health centres in line with national protocols,” the statement noted.
Recent EU assessments highlight that an alarming 5.44 million children under the age of five are acutely malnourished across Nigeria’s Northeast and Northwest regions, with 2 million expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition requiring urgent intervention during the lean season between June and September 2025.
In addition to immediate treatment, the Nigeria Red Cross will expand its health and nutrition services while also bolstering efforts in water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH), and protection. These broader measures aim to build long-term resilience among affected communities.
This financial support is part of the EU’s broader involvement in the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF), coordinated by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). It underscores the EU’s ongoing commitment to delivering life-saving aid in Nigeria, particularly to vulnerable women and children at risk due to malnutrition and displacement.
