The European Union has approved a €557 million humanitarian package for Nigeria and other African countries as part of its €1.9 billion aid budget for 2026, reinforcing the bloc’s role as one of the world’s leading emergency donors at a time of rising global needs and shrinking resources.

The allocation, announced by the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, places particular emphasis on Nigeria’s North-West region and other crisis-hit areas across West and Central Africa, the Sahel, the Lake Chad basin, Central Africa, Southern Africa, the Great Lakes region and the Greater Horn of Africa.

EU officials framed the decision as a response to a stark global reality: an estimated 239 million people now require humanitarian assistance, even as several traditional donors scale back their contributions. The EU’s move is intended to help close part of that gap and to signal that, despite political and economic pressures at home, the bloc will maintain its commitments to vulnerable populations abroad.

The €557 million destined for African crises is part of an initial €1.9 billion humanitarian envelope announced by European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib. The package is designed to fund life-saving interventions, including emergency food assistance, shelter, health care, protection services and support for education in conflict and disaster zones.

According to the EU, the African allocation does not include a separate €14.6 million set aside specifically for North Africa, which faces its own mix of political, economic and social challenges. That additional funding is meant to address the needs of vulnerable communities in countries grappling with instability, migration pressures and the impacts of climate change.

Beyond Africa, the EU’s 2026 humanitarian budget is spread across multiple regions experiencing acute or protracted crises. The Middle East will receive €448 million, with a particular focus on Gaza, as well as Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon. The EU described the situation in Gaza as extremely fragile, requiring sustained support to civilians affected by conflict and displacement.

Ukraine remains another major priority. As Russia’s full-scale invasion continues, the EU has earmarked €145 million for humanitarian operations in the country, alongside an additional €8 million for neighbouring Moldova. These funds are intended to support civilians facing ongoing hostilities, displacement, energy disruptions and damage to critical infrastructure.

In Asia, €126 million has been allocated to address humanitarian needs in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. Afghanistan, in particular, continues to face a deepening humanitarian emergency driven by economic collapse, restrictions on women and girls, and recurrent natural disasters. The EU’s funding is expected to support food security, health services and protection for vulnerable groups.

Central and South America and the Caribbean will receive €95 million. The EU notes that this region is grappling with a complex mix of armed conflict, widespread violence, political instability, entrenched inequality and environmental degradation. Humanitarian programmes there often focus on people displaced by violence, communities hit by hurricanes and droughts, and migrants undertaking dangerous journeys.

For Southeast Asia and the Pacific, the EU has set aside €73 million, with a significant share directed at the crisis in Myanmar and its spillover effects in neighbouring Bangladesh, where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees remain in camps. The funding is expected to support protection, shelter, health care and education for displaced populations.

In addition to these regional envelopes, more than €415 million has been reserved for sudden-onset emergencies and to maintain a strategic humanitarian supply chain. This contingency funding allows the EU to respond rapidly to unforeseen disasters such as earthquakes, floods, cyclones or sudden escalations in conflict.

EU officials stress that the bloc’s humanitarian aid is guided by principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence, and is delivered strictly on the basis of need. Assistance is channelled through a network of humanitarian non-governmental organisations, United Nations agencies, the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, and specialised agencies in EU member states.

Since 1992, the European Commission has provided humanitarian aid in more than 110 countries, building a reputation as a predictable and substantial donor. Together with its member states, the EU consistently ranks among the world’s largest humanitarian contributors.

However, the scale of current crises is testing the limits of traditional funding models. Conflicts are lasting longer, climate-related disasters are becoming more frequent and severe, and economic shocks are pushing more people into vulnerability. At the same time, some donors are cutting back, creating what aid agencies describe as a widening “funding gap” between needs and available resources.

To address this, Commissioner Lahbib is using high-level international platforms to seek new forms of support. In Davos, she has been engaging business leaders and investors on how the private sector can complement public funding. Her agenda includes discussions on innovative financing mechanisms, risk-sharing instruments and partnerships that could bring private capital, technology and logistical expertise into humanitarian responses.

One of the flagship initiatives in Davos is an event titled “New Alliances in Aid and Development,” co-hosted with the World Economic Forum. The aim is to explore how governments, multilateral institutions, companies and philanthropies can work together to design more sustainable and scalable solutions for people in crisis.

EU officials argue that while humanitarian aid remains essential for saving lives in the short term, it must increasingly be linked with development, climate adaptation and peacebuilding efforts. In regions such as the Sahel, the Lake Chad basin and North-West Nigeria, communities are caught in a web of insecurity, poverty, weak governance and environmental stress. Without longer-term investments in resilience, they warn, humanitarian needs will continue to grow.

In Nigeria’s North-West, where banditry, communal violence and displacement have intensified in recent years, the EU’s funding is expected to support emergency relief while also helping to stabilise affected communities. This may include assistance for internally displaced persons, host communities and people whose livelihoods have been disrupted by insecurity and climate shocks.