ECOWAS provides $770,143 humanitarian assistance to flood victims in Cabo Verde
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has presented $770,143 to support 560 vulnerable families affected by floods in Cabo Verde in 2023.
The Director of Humanitarian and Social Affairs of the Commission, Madam Sintiki Tafra-Ube, said the humanitarian assistance was to complement the efforts of the government of Cabo Verde in alleviating the suffering of the vulnerable in the wake of the floods.
“We are delighted that Cape Verde is one of the countries to benefit, with an allocation of 770,143 dollars to support vulnerable populations in the country,” she said.
She was speaking during a meeting with the Ministry of Family, Inclusion, and Social Development of Cabo Verde.
Madam Tafra-Ube was in Cabo Verde as leader of an ECOWAS delegation to monitor the effectiveness of the humanitarian assistance in the country, and help identify gaps to better inform how to improve the delivery of assistance to victims of the 2023 floods.
In her remarks, the Secretary of State for Social Inclusion, Lídia Lida, expressed appreciation to the ECOWAS Commission, noting that the humanitarian support would go a long way in helping the vulnerable get back on their feet.
“We have been implementing the strategy to eradicate extreme poverty with Cape Verde's own resources within the scope of the state budget, but also with the combined efforts of Cape Verde and its international partners, and it is in this sense that the financial support from ECOWAS has complemented our actions within the scope of this strategy to eradicate extreme poverty,” she added.
Assistance
Following the devastating flood disaster across the ECOWAS region in 2023 and grave food and nutrition insecurity, a comprehensive assessment was conducted across the region, and all member states were allocated funds using collectively accepted criteria established during a regional workshop participated in by all member states. Cabo Verde was allocated the sum of $770,143 as its share of the ECOWAS assistance.
In September 2024, following an acute drought in some parts of West Africa, ECOWAS, as an expression of regional solidarity, donated 500 metric tonnes of cereals to Ghana.
The support was based on a decision by the ECOWAS Commission to mobilise 5,370 tonnes of cereals for the six most affected countries – Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.