By Abdullahi Lukman
The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that funding cuts have driven at least 1.2 million people in Northeast Nigeria into more severe hunger, as humanitarian needs continue to rise across West and Central Africa.
The agency said recent assessments using the Cadre Harmonisé food security framework show worsening conditions, with malnutrition levels in several northern Nigerian states deteriorating from “serious” to “critical.” Funding shortfalls in 2025 forced WFP to scale down nutrition programmes, leaving more than 300,000 children affected.
As a result of reduced resources, WFP said it will be able to assist only about 72,000 people in Nigeria in February, a sharp decline from the 1.3 million people supported during the 2025 lean season.
The situation is most severe in Borno State, where about 15,000 people are now at risk of catastrophic hunger for the first time in nearly a decade.
WFP noted that Nigeria, alongside Chad, Cameroon and Niger, accounts for 77 per cent of food insecurity in the region.
Across West and Central Africa, an estimated 55 million people are expected to face crisis-level hunger or worse during the June–August lean season, while 13 million children are projected to suffer malnutrition this year.
The agency said more than three million people across the region are already experiencing emergency levels of food insecurity, more than double the figure recorded in 2020, as conflict, displacement and economic pressures combine with declining aid.
WFP Deputy Regional Director, Sarah Longford, said funding cuts are pushing vulnerable communities beyond their coping capacity, warning that unmet needs could increase desperation among young people.
She added that the agency urgently needs over $453 million in the next six months to sustain humanitarian operations.
Beyond Nigeria, WFP cautioned that over half a million vulnerable people in Cameroon could soon lose assistance, while reduced food rations in parts of Mali have led to a sharp rise in acute hunger.
Continued insecurity has also disrupted supply routes, placing about 1.5 million Malians at risk of crisis-level hunger.
Despite these challenges, WFP said its programmes have helped rehabilitate farmland, support livelihoods and deliver school meals, nutrition and seasonal assistance across thousands of communities.
The agency stressed that adequate and timely funding remains essential to stabilise local economies and reduce long-term dependence on aid.
Calling for increased investment in preparedness and resilience, Longford urged governments and partners to support a shift in approach in 2026 to help break the cycle of hunger and empower affected communities.
