EU pledges €235 million in humanitarian aid for West and Central Africa

By Ifeyinwa Ike

The European Commission has announced €235 million in new humanitarian funding to support the most vulnerable populations across West and Central Africa.

The assistance will target people affected by conflict and food crises, forcibly displaced communities, host populations, and those living in hard‑to‑reach areas.

Of the total amount, €75 million will go to the Central Sahel, over €16.6 million to Cameroon, €22 million to the Central African Republic, more than €72 million to Chad, €4.8 million to Mauritania, €33 million to Nigeria, and over €6 million to coastal countries. An additional €6.4 million will be allocated to regional‑level projects designed to strengthen cross‑border humanitarian response.

“West and Central Africa is facing a storm of humanitarian crises, driven by conflict, poverty, hunger, instability, and climate shocks,” Hadja Lahbib said.

European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management. “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.”

The region continues to grapple with overlapping emergencies, with conflict serving as the main driver of humanitarian need, worsened by climate change and local pressures linked to governance, demography, and access to land and resources.

The Central Sahel and Lake Chad regions remain the epicentres, with spillover effects into coastal countries and severe impacts on Chad from the ongoing crisis in Sudan.

Persistent emergencies also hit North‑West Nigeria, North‑West and South‑West Cameroon, and the Central African Republic.