Nigeria to lead humanitarian response as UN support evolves, minister says

ABUJA, July 14 - Nigeria plans to take on a bigger role in coordinating humanitarian responses inside the country, as it shifts away from a system led largely by international donors and U.N. agencies, officials said on Tuesday.

The move was outlined at a joint transition workshop in the capital of Abuja, where the Nigerian government and the United Nations began talks on transferring greater responsibility for planning, coordination, and financing of operations to national institutions.

Nigeria's humanitarian minister Bernard Doro said the move was not a withdrawal of international support but a transition to government-led coordination that would continue to receive technical backing from the U.N. and other partners.

U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Mohamed Fall said the decision was not about reducing support, but to shift to a new model that takes advantage of more government and private-sector funding to drive humanitarian response.

Donor funding has been under growing pressure globally, while Nigeria wants to strengthen its ability to respond to conflict, displacement, food insecurity, flooding, climate shocks and public health emergencies.

The U.N. has said nearly 35 million Nigerians are at risk of hunger this year following the collapse of global aid budgets.

Doro said his ministry would work with federal and state authorities, aid agencies and affected communities to coordinate humanitarian preparedness, response and recovery efforts nationwide.

He said Nigeria aims to take the lead in developing its 2027 humanitarian plan, with technical support from OCHA and the wider U.N. system. REUTERS