Jutha Gupah, Maiduguri
May 9, 2023.
The French Government has donated the sum of 6.9 million Euros (N3.2 billion) to fight malnutrition and food insecurity in the Northeast.
The about 14-year conflict in the region, has killed 40,000 people and loss of $9,6 billion (N4.2 trillion) property in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.
Unveiling the food insecurity interventions, yesterday (Tuesday), in Maiduguri at the Muna Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp clinic, the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Emmanuelle Blatmann, disclosed: “My visit to Borno state is to assess French government intervention through the World Food Programme (WFP),” adding that the areas of interventions are in severe acute malnutrition and food shortage in the state.”
She noted that the French government has financed 28 projects worth 21 million euros to address humanitarian needs, food security and healthcare.
Her words: “Over one million people were reached in the last three years in the conflict affected states in the region.
“There is the need to tackle multiple drivers of conflict such as hunger, insecurity and climate change,: noting that France will continue invest in the region to better the lives of the vulnerable persons.
The Ambassador said that following the escalation of the crisis in Ukraine, France, WFP and other partners set up an initiative to mitigate the impact of the war with regards to access to food among vulnerable and displaced persons in Borno state.
She continued; “We often hear about donor fatigue and humanitarian assistance is dropping.
“So, I’m here to prove that for France is the opposite. We are moving ahead, we are increasing our assistance in collaboration with Government, UN agencies,” assuring that they are in the state to help and show solidarity.
She, therefore, announced that France in the first half of 2023, has front-loaded three million euros to WFP to address cases of hunger and malnutrition in the region.
The WFP Country Director, David Stevenson said the organisation will support 2.1 million people under the humanitarian response plan.
He explained that the plan has targeted children to be provided food supplements to mothers of malnourished children and also build capacity of nursing mothers to learn nutrition techniques.
He also expressed commitments of the WFP to meet the needs of victims of conflict in the North East.
End.
