The European Union has signed off aid package of €50m to support humanitarian and development efforts in Nigeria’s northeast.
The EU aid to Nigeria will be allocated to the National Indicative Programme, which lays out priorities for EU support to the country and will be primarily focused on supporting the northeast where violence and internal displacement have affected a high proportion of residents.
In a statement, the special adviser to the president on media and publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said the cooperation agreement was signed at 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7), held in Yokohama, Japan by the minister of foreign affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama and the EU commissioner for international cooperation and development, Neven Mimica, would bring the total EU support to the country to €562million from 2014-2020.
Speaking at the event, Mimica said: “The agreement signed today increases our bilateral cooperation with Nigeria by €50m, bringing the total EU support to the country to €562m for 2014-2020. This additional support will be focused on the northeast of the country.
It will help strengthen early recovery and build conflict resilience in affected and vulnerable communities in the states of Yobe and Borno, as well as improve human development, social cohesion and resilience for over 26,000 vulnerable households and communities in Yobe state.”
Adesina quotes President Muhammadu Buhari as expressing appreciation to the EU member states for their support especially for the northeast which he described as “pathetic” and called for further assistance to improve youth education in the region to take them out of poverty.
The statement said Mimica disclosed that Nigeria’s request for enhanced assistance would be given a priority consideration because it came at the time EU was in the process of preparing its seven-year budget.
The statement also said Buhari made the request for assistance from Japan against piracy in the Gulf of Guinea during a bilateral meeting between the Nigerian delegation and Japanese officials led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on the margins of sTICAD7.
According to Adesina, Buhari who commended Abe for inviting him to the triennial forum, also thanked the Japanese government for attending the pioneer celebration of June 12 as Democracy Day in Nigeria.
He also said Prime Minister Abe, in his remarks, welcomed Buhari’s participation at TICAD7 and commended the country’s resolve to sign the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
“Commending the Buhari administration for taking Nigeria to the Next Level, Mr. Abe pledged a $300,000 support for Nigeria’s Defence College as well as 12 million Yen for the country’s public health sector.
“He also pledged his country’s support for Nigeria’s Presidency of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, while seeking Nigeria’s support for Japan’s bid to occupy some global positions,” the statement added.
