ECOWAS Spends Over $100m To Combat Malnutrition In Katsina, Sokoto
By Joe Goddy, Katsina
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has expended over $100 million in the past six months to address acute malnutrition, provide support for vulnerable women, and assist internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Katsina and Sokoto states.
This was disclosed by the Programme Officer for Humanitarian Affairs at the ECOWAS Commission, Alozie Amaechi Godfrey, during the Phase 2 close-out mission of the project in Katsina State.
The intervention, sponsored by ECOWAS and the World Food Programme (WFP) in collaboration with the Katsina State Government, aimed to alleviate poverty, tackle malnutrition, and provide financial assistance, nutritional support, and livelihood empowerment to vulnerable groups in the Northwest region.
Godfrey revealed that over 15,000 people had benefited from the programme since its inception, assuring stakeholders of plans to sustain the initiative as he emphasized its impact in both states.
“We are happy with the project’s implementation in the two states. Over 15,000 beneficiaries have been reached through ECOWAS’ $100 million donation, while the $500,000 contributed by WFP was used for logistics,” he stated.
In his remarks, the Katsina State Executive Director of the Social Investment Programme and State Coordinator of the ECOWAS 2023 intervention program, Dr. Mudasir Nasir Bindawa, expressed gratitude to development partners for their role in addressing malnutrition and poverty in the state.
Dr. Bindawa noted that 7,447 beneficiaries in Katsina State alone had received assistance since the program commenced in August 2024.
He highlighted that Katsina and Jibia Local Government Areas (LGAs) were the initial focus of the initiative, with plans underway to extend the program to seven more LGAs across the state.
The intervention has been widely praised for its role in mitigating the effects of food insecurity, particularly among women and children, in the conflict-affected region.
With plans for expansion, stakeholders remain hopeful that more vulnerable populations will receive much-needed relief in the coming months.
