The European Union has announced an additional €50 million in support of recovery and resilience in Nigeria’s troubled Northeast region.
The agreement came during the 7th Tokyo International Conference on Africa Development (TICAD) where the Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development at the EU Neven Mimica signed a new €50 million package which he said will enhance efforts in crisis torn North Eastern Nigeria.
Mimica said: “The agreement signed today increases our bilateral cooperation with Nigeria by €50 million, bringing the total EU support to the country to €562 million for 2014-2020.
This additional support will be focused on the North East 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.”
The projects financed by this additional support will expand the already extensive EU humanitarian and development assistance to the many victims of violence and displacement in Nigeria’s North East, while addressing some of the underlying drivers of violent extremism in the country.
An integral component of these activities will be peace-building, conflict prevention and resolution activities at community level, to facilitate reconciliation and reintegration.
In addition, the projects will engage communities and local leadership to support and revitalize markets and livelihoods; enhance conflict mitigation systems with the aim to strengthen resilience capacities in communities on the long-term.
The EU support to Nigeria from the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) amounts to €562 million for 2014-2020, including the €50 million top-up to the country’s National Indicative Programme, resulting from the Mid-Term Review of the 11th European Development Fund.