ECOWAS Emergency Flood Response Project Concludes in Bauchi State, Nigeria, After Supporting 1,000 Families

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The ECOWAS Emergency Flood Response Project in Bauchi State, Nigeria, has successfully concluded, having provided critical support to 1,000 families affected by the devastating floods of 2024.

Launched on December 15, 2024, the initiative was a joint effort between the ECOWAS Commission, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Nigerian Red Cross Society.

The project focused on the six local government areas of Katagum, Jama’are, Zaki, Gamawa, Giade, and Kirfi, where families were provided with a combination of food and non-food items, as well as multipurpose cash transfers totaling $200,000. The food aid included rice, beans, gari, vegetable oil, and palm oil, while non-food items such as mosquito-treated nets, blankets, buckets, mats, and 25-litre jerrycans were also distributed. Each of the 1,000 households received a cash transfer of ₦75,000 to help them rebuild their lives.

During the distribution, the Bauchi State government and the Nigerian Red Cross Society worked together to identify and verify the most affected families to ensure that the support reached those in greatest need. President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Oumar Aliyu Touray, represented by Dr. Sintiki Tarfa-Ugbe, Director of Humanitarian and Social Affairs, emphasized that the aid was meant to provide relief, not to replace the losses incurred due to the floods. “Beneficiaries should use the items effectively and invest the funds wisely for sustainable livelihoods,” he said, reiterating ECOWAS’s commitment to improving lives across West Africa.

Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, represented by Director of Humanitarian Affairs, Valentine Ezulu, highlighted the importance of partnership and transparency in the relief efforts. Sununu also assured that under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the federal government is working on long-term solutions to mitigate future flood disasters.

Prince Oluyemisi Adeaga, President of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, called for resilience in the face of future challenges, urging all stakeholders, volunteers, and community members to collaborate in building stronger, more disaster-resilient communities. “Humanitarian work is a collective responsibility,” he said, emphasizing the need for ongoing efforts to ensure preparedness and recovery in the face of disasters.

The ECOWAS Emergency Flood Response Project is part of a larger humanitarian framework that supports ECOWAS Member States. In 2024, Nigeria’s flood relief efforts were extended to six states: Adamawa, Kogi, Kebbi, Oyo, Anambra, and Rivers. The initiative will continue to support flood victims in Borno State before the end of the second quarter of 2025.

This project demonstrates ECOWAS’s continued dedication to providing timely and effective humanitarian assistance to its member countries and ensuring the resilience of communities affected by natural disasters.