UN allocates $5m for anticipatory flood response in Nigeria

Tom Fletcher, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, has approved a $5 million allocation from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support anticipatory action against flooding in Nigeria.

Mohamed Malick Fall, the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, who made the announcement, stressed the importance of proactive measures based on risk analysis to mitigate predictable disasters.

Fall emphasized that early action in response to flood risks saves lives, protects livelihoods, and reduces overall vulnerability.

At a time of dwindling global humanitarian funding, proactive strategies help minimize the impact of emergencies while also reducing the cost of humanitarian response, he stated.

The anticipatory approach aims to lessen the humanitarian crisis before it fully unfolds. Effective implementation requires three key components: pre-agreed triggers based on reliable forecasts, pre-planned response activities to support vulnerable communities, and pre-arranged funding to enable swift action; financing guaranteed and available to be released based on the pre-agreed trigger towards the pre-agreed activities.

The $5 million CERF allocation complements Government-led efforts through the anticipatory action taskforce.

The taskforce brings together key agencies, including the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET), the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) under the stewardship of the Office of the Vice-President. This is in collaboration with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Humanitarian Fund

Globally, OCHA, which manages the CERF and Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPFs), such as the Nigerian Humanitarian Fund (NHF), is spearheading anticipatory action assisting millions of people by addressing hazards such as floods, droughts, storms and cholera.

CERF released $5 million to scale up the flood response and address critical needs in Borno and Bauchi states in the north-east, as well as Sokoto State in the north-west Nigeria in October 2024.

The CERF funds complemented a $6 million allocation from the NHF (which included $2 million for anticipatory action released in tandem with the large-scale floods which displaced an estimated 400,000 people in Borno State. The floods decimated livelihoods and destroyed hundreds of thousands of hectares of cropland ahead of harvests) according to Mr Fall.

According to NiMET’s 2025 Seasonal Climate Prediction forecast, the onset of the rainy season over northern states, such as Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara, is anticipated between early June and July 2025.

65% of agricultural economic damages in the past 15 years were caused by natural disasters. Investing in readiness strengthens resilience, enabling communities to better adapt and protect livelihoods, safeguarding long-term development gains.

Mr Fall said the period coincides with the lean season (the period between harvests) when food insecurity and malnutrition levels rise alongside flooding and outbreaks of diseases, such as cholera. Timely preparedness against these potential hazards is critical.

Nigeria’s 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) has outlined a risk-informed proactive approach dedicating 5% ($45 million) of total requirements ($910 million) for anticipatory action. This CERF allocation represents only 11% of the requirement for anticipatory action.

More funding is urgently needed to scale up early action.

Reporting by Adeniyi Bakare; Editing by Julian Osamoto and Tony Okerafor