Attachments
REGIONAL PROFILE
Significant humanitarian needs persist across West Africa, as populations continue to face complex emergencies and recurring climatic shocks, including drought and seasonal flooding. Protracted conflicts have generated widespread displacement within several countries and led to refugee crises in others, compounding humanitarian needs and exacerbating vulnerabilities for affected households. In FY 2023, USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA) provided more than $658 million in emergency assistance to respond to crises in nine countries in West Africa. The funding supported aid such as emergency food assistance, health care, nutrition, protection, shelter, and water, sanitation, and hygiene services to displaced persons, host communities, and other crisis-affected populations. USAID/BHA also provided nearly $69 million for standalone early recovery, risk reduction, and resilience (ER4) programs in four countries to address the root causes of food insecurity and bolster local capacity for emergency preparedness and disaster response across the region.
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN FY 2023
Protracted armed conflict and extreme climate events continued to affect West Africa during the fiscal year. Ongoing violent conflict between armed groups and intercommunal tensions disrupted livelihoods and generated displacement particularly in Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria, and the Central Sahel, a region comprising Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, resulting in heightened humanitarian needs. Additionally, above-average seasonal rainfall and subsequent flooding between August and November 2022 contributed to elevated humanitarian needs by further hindering agricultural activities, exacerbating food needs, and increasing health and protection risks throughout the region.
USAID/BHA PRIORITIES
As conflicts and complex emergencies in West Africa persist and evolve, USAID/BHA’s priorities for FY 2024 are to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance and reduce vulnerabilities for affected populations. USAID/BHA plans to continue targeted and multi-sector emergency programming to address acute needs as they arise, as well as scaling up integrated programming to bolster the resilience of affected populations, host governments, and local communities and their capacity to respond to shocks. USAID/BHA is committed to strengthening coordination and engagement with humanitarian partners and local authorities to enhance solutions tailored to local humanitarian needs.
USAID/BHA will continue to support localization strategies in many West African countries that provide direct funding to national nongovernmental organizations, as well as technical assistance and training to local authorities to strengthen operational readiness and bolster community resilience. USAID/BHA will also continue to strengthen the capacity of humanitarian actors to adapt and rapidly respond to changing humanitarian contexts—such as through early warning systems, rapid response mechanisms, and the use of cash transfers in emergency responses—to support vulnerable populations affected by acute shocks.