Nigeria, Others To Get €557m Grant From 2026 EU Humanitarian Budget

The European Union (EU) has announced that Nigeria and other African countries will benefit from a €557 million humanitarian aid grant for 2026. The amount, which excludes a separate €14.6 million allocated to North Africa, is part of the European Commission’s initial €1.9 billion humanitarian aid budget.

This was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the media unit of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, which said the EU’s announcement came at a time when 239 million people need assistance, and major donors are cutting funding.

European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, brought this commitment to Davos on Wednesday, seeking to mobilise private sector finance and innovative solutions that can complement public funding and reach people in need.

The EU’s humanitarian aid delivers life-saving assistance where it matters most, such as emergency food and shelter, critical healthcare, protection for the most vulnerable, and support for children’s education in crisis zones.

“As other donors retreat and humanitarian law faces unprecedented strain, the EU has maintained its commitment: principled aid that reaches people in need, wherever they are,” the statement said.

The initial €1.9 billion allocation includes: €557 million to West and Central Africa, the Sahel, the Lake Chad basin, North-West Nigeria, Central Africa, Southern Africa, the Great Lakes region and the Greater Horn of Africa.

€448 million is meant for the Middle East, particularly Gaza, further to last year’s fragile ceasefire, as well as Iraq, Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon. €145 million is earmarked for humanitarian needs in Ukraine, as Russia’s invasion enters its fourth year, and an additional €8 million for humanitarian projects in Moldova.

€126 million is allocated to address humanitarian needs in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran; €95 million to Central and South America and the Caribbean, a region facing complex humanitarian crises driven by armed conflicts, widespread violence, political instability, acute inequalities and environmental challenges.  €73 million will be allocated to support Southeast Asia and the Pacific, in particular for the Myanmar crisis and its impact in Bangladesh; €14.6 million will be allocated to North Africa, a region that remains exposed to complex political, economic and social challenges.

Additionally, more than €415 million is reserved for responding to sudden-onset emergencies worldwide and maintaining a strategic supply chain.

Commissioner Lahbib is in Davos this week to discuss with business leaders and investors how the private sector can bring innovation, scale, and new financing models to humanitarian responses.

Together with the World Economic Forum, she will co-host an event on ‘New Alliances in Aid and Development on Thursday, 22 January.