World Food Programme Spends N7bn On Nigeria Social Protection

The World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations said it spent $5billion approximately N7.4 billion, on Shock-Response and Social Protection (SRSP) in Nigeria in 2025.

The Acting Country Director, WFP, Serigne Loum, said this at the inauguration of Shock-Responsive Social Protection (SRSP)-Technical Working Group (TWG) and Validation of Standard operating Procedure (SOP) workshop in Abuja on Thursday.

The programme organised by WFP in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction had as its theme: “Leveraging Social Safety Nets for Emergency and Disaster Response.”

He assured that WFP would scale up its financial commitment and interventions in 2026 to cover more targets.

Loum, who noted that no fewer than 35 million people in Nigeria are food insecure, said that most them were from the northeast.

“Last year, WFP was able to provide unprepared action support to 70,000 people in Adamawa who were affected by flood.

“The assistance provided was very timely and allowed them to take some preventive actions before the flood hits.

“This year, we are aiming to increase that number, maybe reaching 80,000 people for unprepared action and also more people for social protection,” he said.

Loum said that WFP was committed to achieving zero hunger through its operations and also by providing technical support towards strengthening government systems in social protection, anticipatory action, emergency response and policy coherence.

“Nigeria has one of the largest social registers of poor and vulnerable households in the region.

“Unfortunately the country also has been experiencing multiple crises and shocks for over a decade which has overstretched both the national disaster agencies and the humanitarian partners.

“Therefore Nigeria is setting a standard if the SOP protocol is effectively operationalised. Nigeria will be a standard reference point for peer learning in Africa and beyond,” he said.

Mr Olubunmi Olusanya, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, said Nigeria continued to face economic and conflict-related challenges, in addition to floods and droughts that cause economic disruptions.

Olusanya said that the shocks threaten life-sustaining ventures thereby hampering growth and development.

According to him, shock-responsive social protection has become not only relevant, but enables anticipation, preparation for, and response to situations.

“The validation of a SRSP marks the quickest step forward. This system promotes coherence between material intervention indicators, including governance and organisations, to better serve the vulnerable populations.

“They provide a practical tool to protect coordination and clarify roles without encroaching on institutional matters, and promote efficiency, transparency, and adaptability in response,” he said.