Nigeria Country Strategic Plan (2019-2023)

CSP approved at EB.1/2019

Revision 01 approved by the ED & DG FAO in March 2020.

Revision 02 approved by the ED & DG FAO in May 2021.

Revision 03 approved by the ED & DG FAO in July 2022.

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, home to over 198 million people, 49.4 percent female and most under 30.1 The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs predicts that by 2050, Nigeria will become the third most populated country in the world.2 One in five households is headed by a woman.3 Nigeria achieved lower-middle-income status in 2014 and is Africa's largest economy.4 Persistent inequalities and poverty are particularly marked in the northeast and northwest.5 Poor maternal nutrition, suboptimal infant and young child feeding practices, limited access to diverse nutritious food and inadequate health services are major underlying causes of child undernutrition. Over 40 percent of children aged 0–59 months are chronically malnourished (stunted), 11 percent are acutely malnourished and 32 percent are underweight.6 The prevalence of hunger in rural areas is associated with low agricultural productivity; poor infrastructure, including transport and banking; limited access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene; inadequate health and education services; and gender inequalities. Nigeria has the second largest HIV epidemic globally, the highest number of paediatric cases in the world and 51 percent of the HIV burden of the African region.7

The Economic Recovery and Growth Plan 2017–20208 prioritizes agriculture and food security and sets out the Government’s commitment to funding social safety nets through 2020. The associated 2017 Budget of Recovery and Growth funds a countrywide social investment programme that focuses on job creation, home-grown school feeding and cash transfers to vulnerable populations.

In 2015, there was a peaceful transition of power, and the next general elections are scheduled for February 2019. Currently the country is experiencing political tensions, criminality and conflict due to competition for resources. Insurgence in the northeast has displaced almost 2 million people over recent years. The conflict has had different impacts on women, men, boys and girls, and women and girls have been marginalized in the post-conflict peace-building process. WFP therefore aims to put women at the centre of its action to contribute to their empowerment through transformative approaches.

WFP re-established its presence in Nigeria in mid-2016, upon the request of the Nigerian Government, in order to provide targeted food security and nutrition assistance to conflict-affected populations in the northeast.

The country strategic plan consolidates WFP’s presence in Nigeria by leveraging partnerships and focusing on maximizing results through complementary action. It is based on a scenario of increased security and stability in the northeast, which will allow WFP to phase out its direct operations over the first three years of the plan. Notwithstanding this basic assumption, the country strategic plan includes provisions to ensure principled, safe and secure access to affected populations. A decrease in life-saving assistance provided through general food distributions will be accompanied by a gradual increase in gender-transformative livelihood support and nutrition-sensitive activities, with the aim of promoting self-reliance and resilience. Should crisis response needs increase beyond the contingency built into the CSP, WFP will revise planning figures and the budget.

In addition, over the course of the CSP WFP will shift its focus from direct operational engagement to transferring know-how and experience to national and local institutions and to communities, with engagement in the policy environment and supported by a dedicated budget.

Drawing from the recommendations resulting from a 2017 zero hunger strategic review and government strategies and policies, the CSP proposes six interlinked strategic outcomes to reduce hunger and undernutrition through partnerships. It will address both humanitarian and development issues, in line with the international policy debate on the humanitarian–development–peace nexus. WFP will aim to put women at the centre of its action.

This CSP covers a period of four years, from January 2019 to December 2022. It is aligned with WFP’s Strategic Plan (2017–2021), the United Nations sustainable development and partnership framework for Nigeria for 2018–2022 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.