The Nigerian Red Cross Society, NRCS, has received emergency safety equipment worth two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in aid from the World Food Programme, WFP.
Secretary General of the NRCS, Dr Abubakar Kende, received the equipment on behalf of the Society in Abuja shortly after signing an MoU with WFP to strengthen humanitarian response across Nigeria.
While commending the World Food Programme for the support, Dr Kende described the gesture as the localisation of the agenda.
He pledged that the NRCS would utilise the equipment judiciously for the benefit of humanity.
“The backbone of every humanitarian agency today has to do with logistics, storage and procurement systems, and WFP is all out to support this Society, strengthen its capacity not only at the Headquarters in Abuja, but also along our peripheries, the States where we operate”.
He commended the International Federation of the Red Cross for being instrumental in the partnership.
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“What WFP is trying to do is to make sure that we meet up with the demands of time.”
The Deputy Country Director of the World Food Programme, Guy Adoua, described the NRCS as the pillar of humanitarian response in Nigeria, with a deep connection to the communities it serves.
According to him, the move was conceived with the idea to provide technical support, strengthen the systems, and enhance the ability to respond swiftly and effectively to emergencies.
He said the WFP had also conducted a comprehensive organisational capacity assessment across key operational and technical areas of the NRCS.
“Since then, WFP has trained 45 Red Cross staff on cash-based transfer programming and trained 86 staff on warehouse management and operations in Kano and Port Harcourt, including hands-on exposure visits to WFP’s own warehouse facilities.”
These investments, he noted, were designed not only to build knowledge but to strengthen the systems that support effective humanitarian action.
Today, we are proud to take another step forward by handing over warehouse equipment to the Nigerian Red Cross Society. This equipment will enable your teams to put into practice the skills gained during the training, improve storage inventory management, and enhance prompt response when communities need it.
The World Food Programme said the gesture was the outcome of the Nigerian Red Cross Society’s unwavering dedication to serving vulnerable people across the country.