Norwegian Government Provides Additional Support to FAO for North East support

The Norwegian government through the Norwegian Ambassador to Nigeria has announced additional funds to support the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation (FAO) in support of its interventions in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria.

The support is for the vulnerable people of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and Taraba state mostly affected by the insurgency and other crises mostly contributing towards improved food security in the North-Eastern.

The Norwegian Ambassador to Nigeria Mr. Knut Eiliv Lein made the disclosure at the signing ceremony of a MoU with the FAO at the Norwegian embassy in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

Mr. Lein disclosed that the support is an existing one but is being expanded with funding increased to 4.5 million USD for 2023.

“We have a 3 year programme with the FAO that we renewed for another 3 last year and this is the first year that that programme is being implemented in the four states in the North East including Taraba state”

“This time we increased the fund to 45 million Norwegian krone, which is equivalent to 4.5 million USD that is too be spent this year so that’s an increase for this year”

While appreciating the FAO Mr. Lein said the Norwegian government chose to focus on food security due to the rising food prices internationally adding that the partnership with FAO has been of great support to the people of North East Nigeria.

He added that for the Norwegian government it goes beyond just food aid and immediate humanitarian assistance as it goes a long way in ensuring the people are able to subsequently sustain themselves.

FAO

While assuring the Norwegian Government of proper and judicious usage of the funds, the Country Representative of the FAO Fred Kafeero said the main objective of the fund is to support agricultural livelihoods of people impacted by conflicts in the North East region.

According to him the FAO works with those affected in the area; help them produce their foods and in the process improve nutrition and food availability.

“what FAO is doing is ideally working with this internally displaced persons whether they are in camps or host communities to be able to undertake some agricultural practices and produce their own food so they can depend on what they produce and in the process improve their food availability but also for nutrition and use part of the resources to engage in income generating activities that can bring them income in their households”.

Kafeero said the project is also factoring women in, by protecting and strengthening them.

“The other thing the project is looking at is strengthening or sort of protecting the women particularly, as you know the women in that region many of the women are involved in collecting firewoods from different places to their homes and that puts them at risk so in that case this project is trying to come up with technologies that can help to save fuel so that the women can stay longer in their homes rather than move out to risky places to collect firewood”.

While appreciating the Norwegian government Kafeero added that the collaboration has benefited the conflict-affected populations in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states in the areas of agriculture-based livelihoods support that has enabled them to improve their food security and build their resilience.