Nigeria and the World Food Programme have reaffirmed a long-running partnership on food security, nutrition and humanitarian response, following a meeting in which the WFP Country Representative, Katrien Ghoos, presented her Letter of Commission to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A Partnership Under Review
The meeting on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, gave both sides an opportunity to review a partnership that spans food security, humanitarian assistance, nutrition, resilience-building and sustainable development, the Ministry said. Odumegwu-Ojukwu commended the WFP for its life-saving assistance to vulnerable populations and stressed the importance of tying humanitarian support to longer-term development that raises agricultural productivity, improves rural livelihoods and strengthens resilience against climate-related shocks. Ghoos, for her part, reaffirmed the organisation's commitment to supporting Nigeria's push toward food security and sustainable livelihoods.
Why the Timing Matters
The renewal lands at a difficult moment for the country's food system. The Cadre Harmonisé analysis has projected that 34.7 million people across 27 states and the Federal Capital Territory could be food insecure or worse between June and August 2026, with insecurity, displacement and climate shocks named as the main drivers, as The Guardian reported. That same analysis was conducted by the Nigeria Food Security Sector with support from the WFP alongside the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the National Bureau of Statistics, placing the organisation at the centre of how hunger is measured and addressed.
Partnerships like this shape how emergency food reaches the households that need it most, but the everyday cost of feeding a family is still set at the market stall. FoodPrices Nigeria tracks verified retail prices across Lagos markets, the ground-level measure of whether relief efforts are easing the pressure on ordinary shoppers.