The United States government has donated $5 million to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to expand lifesaving nutrition assistance for vulnerable children and mothers across Nigeria, amid rising cases of severe acute malnutrition in several states.
Announcing the funding on Thursday, U.S. officials said the contribution will enable UNICEF to scale up emergency nutrition services, procure therapeutic food supplies, and strengthen community-based outreach in high-risk regions, particularly in the conflict-affected North-East and North-West. The support forms part of Washington’s broader humanitarian partnership with Nigeria aimed at reducing child mortality and tackling food insecurity.
UNICEF welcomed the donation, describing it as a timely boost to ongoing interventions targeting millions of children at risk of malnutrition nationwide. According to the UN agency, Nigeria faces one of the highest burdens of child malnutrition globally, with an estimated 1.74 million children under the age of five suffering from severe acute malnutrition. Many of these children, UNICEF warned, could die without urgent therapeutic care.
The funding will be directed toward the procurement of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), micronutrient supplements, and essential medical supplies. It will also support the training of health workers, the deployment of mobile nutrition teams, and awareness campaigns to help caregivers detect early signs of malnutrition.
A U.S. Embassy spokesperson noted that the investment underscores America’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s humanitarian priorities. “No child should suffer or die from malnutrition. This partnership with UNICEF reinforces our shared goal of ensuring every Nigerian child has access to the nutrition and healthcare they need to survive and thrive,” the official said.
The donation comes as several Nigerian states continue to grapple with food insecurity driven by conflict, displacement, climate shocks, high food prices, and limited access to healthcare services. Humanitarian groups have repeatedly warned that the nutrition crisis could worsen without sustained funding and government coordination.
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UNICEF said the new U.S. contribution will help close critical gaps in nutrition programming, but urged additional support from other donors and stakeholders. The agency emphasized that addressing malnutrition requires long-term investments in food systems, primary healthcare, clean water, sanitation, and social protection.
With the latest funding, the United States remains one of the largest humanitarian donors to Nigeria, having provided hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years for food assistance, health services, and protection for vulnerable communities. The partnership with UNICEF, officials said, continues to be central to saving lives and supporting Nigeria’s most at-risk children.
