Nigeria’s 2026 humanitarian response has attracted $247.3 million in funding against a requirement of $516.4 million, leaving the country with a substantial financing shortfall as humanitarian agencies seek to assist millions of people affected by conflict, displacement, food insecurity and other emergencies.
The latest data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) 2026 Financial Tracking Service seen by THISDAY showed that the funding available as of June 22 represented about 47 per cent of the requirement under Nigeria’s humanitarian response framework.
The 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) requires $516.4 million to provide assistance to 2.25 million people identified as being in need of humanitarian support.
The $247.3 million recorded as total humanitarian funding for Nigeria, $232.8 million was channelled through the HNRP, while about $5.8 million was recorded for humanitarian activities outside the plan.
According to the document, the funding represents a significant improvement from the position earlier in the year. OCHA’s tracking data showed that funding coverage had stood at about 33 per cent in late March before rising steadily to 47 per cent by June 22.
During the period, funding through the humanitarian plan increased from $173.6 million on March 30 to $192.8 million by April 27, $199.9 million by May 4, $214.6 million by May 26 and $232.8 million by June 22.
The increase amounted to $59.2 million, or about 34 per cent, in less than three months, according to the OCHA data.
Despite the improvement, the level of funding, it said, remains inadequate to fully implement the response plan, leaving humanitarian organisations dependent on further contributions from international donors and other sources.
OCHA’s Nigeria humanitarian appeal is being implemented amid persistent crises across several parts of the country, particularly the North-east, where prolonged insecurity has resulted in displacement and acute humanitarian needs.
The United Nations has continued to warn that food insecurity, malnutrition, displacement and insecurity are combining to increase humanitarian pressures, while reductions in international humanitarian financing have made it increasingly difficult for agencies to meet all identified needs.
The funding situation also highlights the scale of the challenge facing Nigeria compared with the previous year. In 2025, the country required about $910.2 million for its humanitarian response but received only about $321.5 million, according to OCHA’s funding data.
The 2026 requirement is therefore substantially lower than the previous year’s appeal, reflecting a more targeted response focused on the most critical needs and the people considered most vulnerable.
OCHA said the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund, established in 2017, remains one of the mechanisms used to provide flexible funding for humanitarian operations in the country.
The latest funding figures nevertheless showed that while donor contributions have improved during the year, the response to the remains significantly underfunded.
But the data further indicated that with only about 47 per cent of the $516.4 million requirement covered as of June 22, humanitarian agencies still face a sizeable financing challenge in delivering the planned assistance to the 2.25 million people targeted under Nigeria’s 2026 humanitarian response plan.
The figures also reinforce calls for greater domestic and international financing of humanitarian operations as Nigeria confronts the combined effects of insecurity, displacement, hunger and other emergencies.
Among the source countries of funding were: Switzerland, Germany, Qatar, Japan, Canada, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, European Commission, Sweden, among others.
Emmanuel Addeh
