US donates $5m to tackle rising child malnutrition in Northwest Nigeria

The United States has announced a $5 million donation to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to combat acute malnutrition among children in Northwest Nigeria.

In a statement on Thursday, the US Mission said the funding will enable UNICEF to provide lifesaving assistance for at least 70,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition.

According to the Mission, the support will cover the provision of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), essential medicines, and other humanitarian supplies needed for emergency treatment.

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“The State Department provided $5m to UNICEF to deliver lifesaving nutrition support to at least 70,000 children with acute malnutrition in Northwest Nigeria. These funds will be used by UNICEF to provide ready-to-use food, medicine, and other humanitarian supplies,” the statement read.

It added that the donation “affirms US global leadership, strength, and compassion.”

The US support comes several months after the US froze a significant portion of its direct humanitarian and development assistance to countries including Nigeria.

Several US-funded health and food assistance programmes were scaled back following a temporary global aid pause that affected nutrition clinics, medical supplies, and distribution of food aid in Africa’s conflict-affected regions.

The freeze particularly hit northern Nigeria, where international agencies had already warned of rising malnutrition due to insecurity, declining agricultural output, and limited access to healthcare. Health workers in Zamfara, Sokoto, and Katsina reported reduced supplies of therapeutic food during the suspension, leaving thousands of children untreated.

Although the new $5 million grant does not reverse the wider cutbacks, it marks one of the first targeted emergency interventions by the U.S. since the aid reduction.

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