The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) is set to close 150 clinics in Nigeria in August over an aid cuts crisis.
The aid cuts crisis has escalated in recent months, threatening food relief and nutrition support for 1.3 million people.
The agency stated that it had received no new funding to continue providing food and nutrition support to 1.3 million people, despite a $130 million emergency appeal to sustain operations through 2025.
This development was made known by Chi Lael, WFP’s head of communications.
Lael said closure will cut off lifesaving treatment for 300,000 children, exacerbating an already dire food insecurity crisis affecting 31 million Nigerians.
He added that the closures will primarily affect Borno and Yobe states, where insurgency and displacement have left nearly one-fifth of the population facing acute hunger.
He said: “The immediate and most brutal effect will be on child nutrition. Half of the 300 clinics we run will be closed this month, cutting off lifesaving treatment for 300,000 children.”
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that this comes as humanitarian agencies across Africa have been battling with funding issues.
The development escalated after United States President Donald Trump slashed foreign aid and many European countries have since redirected funding toward domestic priorities.
An executive order signed on January 20, 2025, imposed a 90-day freeze on all U.S. foreign development assistance, triggering an immediate halt to countless aid programs worldwide.
