The United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, has allocated $5 million from its Central Emergency Fund (CERF) to support flood preparedness efforts in Nigeria.
The announcement was made in a statement issued on Wednesday by the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall.
The funding aims to help mitigate the impact of anticipated floods, particularly in northern states, where flooding is often linked to food insecurity and disease outbreaks.
The UN emphasized the importance of proactive measures in responding to these risks, highlighting that taking action before crises strike can save lives, protect livelihoods, and reduce the overall cost of humanitarian responses.
The $5 million allocation is part of a broader strategy that involves Nigerian agencies, including the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), with support from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Mohamed Malick Fall, the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, stressed the importance of anticipatory action in response to predictable shocks like flooding, especially given the global decline in humanitarian funding.
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He noted that such an approach is crucial in the current global landscape, where funding for humanitarian action is decreasing.
“Anticipating and acting ahead of crises such as floods saves lives. It also helps to protect people’s livelihoods, which in turn reduces their vulnerability,” Fall said.
“In a global landscape characterised by reducing funds for humanitarian action, this proactive approach is critical as it does not only reduce the worst impacts of emergencies, but it also helps to reduce the overall cost of the humanitarian response.”
The CERF funding complements government-led efforts through the anticipatory action task force, which aims to minimize the impact of floods by preparing in advance.
In addition to the CERF allocation, Nigeria’s 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan has earmarked 5% ($45 million) of its total budget for anticipatory action.
However, officials have warned that more funds are urgently needed to scale up early action and address the increasing flood risks, with a growing need for sustained preparedness efforts in the face of unpredictable weather patterns and the challenges posed by climate change.
