The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that funding cuts have pushed at least 1.2 million people in northeast Nigeria deeper into hunger.
In a statement issued on Friday, the UN agency cited findings from the Cadre Harmonisé, the regional equivalent of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) which measures food insecurity on a scale of one to five, with level five indicating catastrophic famine.
According to WFP, funding shortfalls in 2025 forced the agency to scale back nutrition programmes in Nigeria, affecting more than 300,000 children. As a result, malnutrition levels in several northern states have worsened from “serious” to “critical.”
The agency said it expects to reach only 72,000 people in February, a sharp drop from the 1.3 million assisted during the 2025 lean season.
Across West and Central Africa, WFP estimates that 55 million people will face crisis-level hunger or worse between June and August, while 13 million children are projected to suffer acute malnutrition this year. More than three million people are already experiencing emergency levels of food insecurity, more than double the number recorded in 2020.
Despite rising violence and displacement across the region, WFP said funding cuts have continued. Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger together account for 77 per cent of food insecurity in West and Central Africa.
In Nigeria’s Borno State alone, at least 15,000 people are now at risk of catastrophic hunger for the first time in nearly a decade.
“Conflict, displacement and economic pressures are driving hunger, but funding cuts are now pushing communities beyond their coping capacity,” the agency said.
Sarah Longford, WFP Deputy Regional Director, warned that reduced funding in 2025 has significantly worsened hunger and malnutrition across the region.
“As needs continue to outpace funding, the risk of young people falling into desperation also grows,” she said.
WFP said it urgently requires more than $453 million over the next six months to sustain humanitarian operations across West and Central Africa.
The agency also cautioned that over 500,000 vulnerable people in Cameroon could lose food assistance in the coming weeks. In Mali, areas where food rations were reduced recorded a nearly 65 per cent increase in acute hunger, compared with a 34 per cent decrease in areas that received full rations.
Ongoing insecurity has also disrupted supply routes to major cities in Mali, leaving about 1.5 million of the country’s most vulnerable people at risk of crisis-level hunger.
WFP stressed that adequate funding is essential not only for emergency food assistance but also for long-term food security programmes. Its interventions have helped rehabilitate more than 300,000 hectares of farmland, supporting over four million people in more than 3,400 communities.
The agency said its efforts include school feeding, nutrition support, capacity building, seasonal assistance, and infrastructure development aimed at strengthening local economies and reducing long-term dependence on aid.
“To break the cycle of hunger for future generations, we need a paradigm shift in 2026,” Longford said, urging governments and partners to increase investment in preparedness, anticipatory action, and resilience-building.
NAN
