Yaoundé – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomes a USD 1.2 million (JPY 150 million) contribution from the Government of Japan to provide food and nutrition assistance to over 74,600 children, women and men in the Far North, North, Adamawa, East, North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon.
The contribution from Japan will enable WFP provide school feeding and nutrition support to refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees and host communities. These include children below the age of 5, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and people living with HIV.
“This support could not have come at a more opportune time,” said Wanja Kaaria, WFP Representative and Country Director in Cameroon. According to the Cadre Harmonisé results released in March 2022, 2.4 million people are food insecure in Cameroon and this number could increase due to climate change, soaring food prices, the COVID-19 pandemic as well as internal and external conflicts such as the crisis in Ukraine. “WFP’s support is therefore very critical at this junction and with the support of partners like Japan, we can ensure the adequate delivery of a life-saving and life-changing response in Cameroon.”
Cameroon’s Far North region, and neighbouring Nigeria, have been plagued by violence, with repeated attacks by non-state armed groups since 2014, resulting in an influx of Nigerian refugees as well as displacements within Cameroon. The East, Adamawa and North regions host high numbers of refugees who have fled violence in the Central African Republic. The socio-political crisis in North West and South West regions of Cameroon has also resulted in displacement and rising food insecurity in both regions since 2017. In 2022, 3.9 million women, men, girls, and boys will need humanitarian assistance in Cameroon, according to the Humanitarian Response Plan of April 2022.
“Food security is an issue of great importance to the Government of Japan. Access to food and nutrition is a fundamental element of human capital development, to which Japan has long been committed”, said Mr. IKEDA Kiyohiko, Charge d’Affaires ad interim to Cameroon. “ Japan renews its tireless commitments in advance of The Eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD8) to be held in August of this year.”
