The U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), announced an additional $44 million of support for Niger to protect vulnerable populations from the impacts of food insecurity and strengthen resilience in the country.
Food, fertilizer, and fuel price increases in Niger and across sub-Saharan Africa are compounding existing development challenges and humanitarian emergencies. As part of President Biden’s announcement of $2.76 billion in U.S. government funding to address the global food crisis in June during the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Germany, USAID will provide $34 million in new resources to Niger to combat the effects of the escalating crisis exacerbated by the Russian Federation’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine.
Of the $34 million, $25 million will provide emergency humanitarian assistance that focuses on food security and nutrition, water, sanitation, and hygiene; and protection, shelter, and settlements. The remaining $9 million will strengthen agricultural markets, trade, and investment; nutrition and food security; climate-smart agriculture practices; access to healthy and nutritious local foods; and integrated nutrition and livelihood-strengthening activities.
In addition to the $34 million of supplemental food security funding, USAID announced $10 million of support that will address secondary effects of food insecurity, while strengthening governance and conflict prevention.
The United States has provided $10.5 billion in assistance, including nearly $8.2 billion in humanitarian assistance, to respond to the global food security crisis since the beginning of Russia’s war against Ukraine.