World Food Programme seeks collaboration with Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs

The World Food Programme (WFP) says it will like to collaborate with the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to strengthen School Feeding Programme and other humanitarian affairs.

Mr Paul Howe, Country Director of WPF, stated this when he visited the Minister, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq on Tuesday in Abuja.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that WFP is an agency under the United Nations.

Howe said he and his team were in the ministry to look for ways WFP could collaborate with the ministry in areas of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development.

“WFP works in line with the second and 17th goal of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which touches on hunger and girls, respectively. We would like to work with you on your core mandate.

“On Home Grown School Feeding Programme, we can provide technical support to strengthen the programme.

“Even when we are providing food, we buy from the Nigerian economy to encourage local production. We are already working with NEMA and SEMA. We can provide support on a lot of areas.

“On disaster management, we would want to try to reduce risk and disaster. There is early warning and financial strategy that can be employed to address crisis.

“The different mandate of the ministry is overlapping. However, we look forward to working with your team to support the programmes of the Ministry,” Howe said.

In her response, Farouq said the activities of WFP is in line with the mandate of the ministry.

“This is because the ministry is also addressing the issue of malnutrition affecting the children of displaced population in the country.

“I will like us to work together in the area of capacity building on nutrition, because the School Feeding Programme geared towards nutrition.

“We have some area of focus on policy and institutional framework and to also focus on evidence based programmes.

“We are looking at optimising funding, monitoring and evaluation in all levels of implementation, achievement and improvement.

“We are also going to work with Ministries of Education, Health and others on achieving the 17 SDGs.

“However, data is a number key priority of the ministry. On the area of recovery ordered by Mr President, we will be looking at construction with North East Development Commission and others.

“Our target is to maximum impact; collaboration with national and international organisation, which will no doubt make us achieve what we are set to achieve,” Farouq said.

NAN also reports that others on the WFP entourage included Ms Simone Partchment, Deputy Country Director, Ms Ifeoma Garba, External Partnership Officer, and Mr Akeem Ajibola, Programme Police Officer. (NAN).

Photo caption:

Hajiya Sadiya Farouq, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (M), Mr Paul Howe, Country Director, WFP (L) and Ms Simone Partchment, Deputy Country Director, WFP (R)