Link to article: https://apnews.com/article/nigeria-aid-hunger-usaid-insecurity-51c4c5c80eb6fddb261bbbbb383629e6
The US has approved $32.5 million in aid to Nigeria to combat hunger, marking a rare policy shift after most US foreign assistance was suspended under President Donald Trump. The funds, delivered through USAID, will provide food and nutrition support to people displaced by conflict, especially in northern Nigeria. The region faces what the World Food Program (WFP calls an “unprecedented hunger crisis,” with over 1.3 million people at risk and 150 nutrition clinics in Borno state threatened with closure. Earlier this year, the WFP halted food assistance across parts of West and Central Africa due to severe funding cuts, warning that food stocks could run out by September.
This is a shocking change, considering the US’s recent shift when Trump took office towards a more domestic issue foreign policy. I feel like the US helped create this crisis by cutting aid, and now is only stepping in when the damage is severe. While the new aid does help, it won’t even last after September, leaving many people vulnerable again. Instead of short term aid, I feel like the US should focus on helping Nigeria implement systems that will allow Nigerians to support themselves since they don’t want to donate more money. It’s troubling to me that we cut our funding to Nigeria and after seeing the drastic effects of this, we decide to give some money that won’t even last that long.
NGOs like the Red Cross or Habitat for Humanity could potentially provide some aid to Nigeria, but they can do little about the ongoing conflicts in Nigeria displacing so many people. Additionally, US funding cuts puts financial strain on NGOs as well as individual Nigerians. Religious groups with support from major institutions and missionary programs could become sources of aid once US money runs out.
This crisis is a perfect example of a Global issue, extreme poverty, that must be addressed by both state and non-state organizations. BINGOs and RINGOs could potentially step in to combat this crisis by being operational with their aid. Additionally, we see the effects of the US government’s new foreign policy plan, and how their funding cuts affect the countries that once received aid from them.