Faced with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, which is will express solidarity with the people and government of Nigeria, this Friday, August 21, 2020.

This regional solidarity will be demonstrated through food donations of a total of 3,999 tons of cereals comprising of millet and sorghum. The first donation consists of 1,196 tons of cereals financed by the ECOWAS Commission’s Humanitarian Emergency Fund for Disaster and Emergency Relief to Member States affected by a humanitarian crisis while the second donation of 2, 803 tons is funded by the resources of the Regional Food Security Storage Support Project, which the European Union is financing for a total amount of €56 million.

The grains will be taken from the stocks in the ECOWAS Regional Food Security Reserve, partly warehoused with the Federal Strategic Reserve Department (FSRD) and distributed free of charge to the households mostly affected by the humanitarian situation in the country.

These two donations complement the multidimensional support that ECOWAS has provided to Nigeria since the advent of COVID -19 in the country on February 27, 2020.

The official handover ceremony will be chaired by the Commissioners of Social Affairs and Gender and Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Siga Fatima Jagne and Mr. Sékou Sangaré, respectively.

According to Commissioners Jagne and Sangaré, the COVID -19 pandemic cuts across all sectors and disrupts production, warehousing, marketing, processing, and distribution systems of agricultural and food products, especially in the North Eastern part of the Country. In addition, the Harmonized Framework for Identifying Risk Areas and Vulnerability estimates that over 7,087,102 people are currently in difficult food situations in the country, including Internally Displaced Persons and children affected by malnutrition. In this regard, the ECOWAS Commission has therefore decided to provide it with the support of the region through its Humanitarian Emergency Fund and the financial support of the European Union within the framework of the Regional Food Security Storage Support Project.

These food donations will help the most vulnerable households cope with the multiple crises while safeguarding their livelihoods.

Recalling that the ECOWAS Humanitarian Policy aims to prevent, mitigate, and provide durable solutions to the complex emergencies and its effects, including natural and man-made disasters in the region. It complements the ECOWAS Disaster Risk Reduction Policy which focuses on disaster risk reduction through the design of interventions aimed at reducing risks as an obstacle to development.

Established on February 28, 2013 in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, by the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, the Regional Food Security Reserve aims, to complement the efforts of Member States to provide diversified rapid food and nutritional assistance.

For more information and updates on COVID-19 across the West African Region, visit our website: https://old22.ecowas.int/covid-19/
———————————–END——————————————