EU-Africa: new aid to address crises driven by conflict, climate change and rising prices. Lenarcic, “growing humanitarian needs”

For 2023, the EU has allocated €181.5 million for humanitarian aid in West and Central Africa to address the crises driven by conflict and worsened by climate change and the global spike in food prices. The announcement was made today during the EU-ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) ministerial meeting in Brussels, in the presence of the Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, the EU Commission said in a statement. In particular, “new allocations have been announced for Burkina Faso (€25.5 million), Mali (€26 million), Mauritania (€6.5 million) and Central African Republic (€20.5 million), together with a regional allocation of €500,000”. These allocations add to the EU funding already pledged for Nigeria (€34 million), Niger (€25 million), Chad (€26.5 million) and Cameroon (€17 million) last month, during the High-Level Conference on the Lake Chad Region held in Niamey. Up to €111 million of the mentioned budget will benefit ECOWAS members. “Last year, over 38 million people needed assistance in West and Central Africa, where the security situation remains highly concerning. While sustainable solutions need to be found, the newly announced EU funding will help to address the growing humanitarian needs across the region, reflecting the EU’s solidarity with those most vulnerable”, Commissioner Lenarčič said.
Valentina Bombelli