Nigeria plans to play a bigger role in coordinating humanitarian responses inside the country as it shifts away from a system largely led by international donors and U.N. agencies, officials said Tuesday.
The move was outlined at a joint transition workshop in the capital, Abuja, where the Nigerian government and the United Nations kicked off discussions on transferring greater responsibility for planning, coordination, and financing of operations to national institutions.
According to the humanitarian minister, Bernard Doro, he said the move was not a withdrawal of international support but a transition to government-led coordination that would continue to receive technical backing from the U.N. and other partners.
U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Mohamed Fall said the decision was not about reducing support but shifting to a new model that takes advantage of more government and private-sector funding to drive humanitarian response.
Donor funding has been under growing pressure globally, while Nigeria wants to strengthen its ability to respond to conflict, displacement, food insecurity, flooding, climate shocks, and public health emergencies.
The U.N. has said nearly 35 million Nigerians are at risk of hunger this year following the collapse of global aid budgets.
Doro said his ministry would work with federal and state authorities, aid agencies, and affected communities to coordinate humanitarian preparedness, response, and recovery efforts nationwide.
He said Nigeria aims to take the lead in developing its 2027 humanitarian plan, with technical support from OCHA and the wider U.N. system.
Packaged by Lanre Olabisi
