Special Multi-Partner Delivery Fund and the Nexus Funding Facility will enhance the Lake Chad Basin Commission’s capacity to coordinate efforts to stabilise the region and foster social cohesion.

In a groundbreaking move, the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have launched the Special Multi-Partner Delivery Fund (SMDF) and the Nexus Funding Facility (NFF) to enhance resilience, promote sustainable development and advance peace in the region.

The launch, which took place at the 5th edition of the Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum, marks a significant step towards addressing the complex security, humanitarian and development issues facing the region.

The Lake Chad Basin region, which spans across Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria, has been severely impacted by insecurity and forced displacement, with more than 6 million people affected as of November 2024.

The SMDF and NFF aim to support the Regional Strategy for the Stabilisation, Recovery and Resilience (RS SRR) of the Boko Haram-affected areas in the region by enhancing the LCBC’s capacity to coordinate efforts to stabilise the region, build resilience and foster social cohesion.

The SMDF will focus on supporting the RS SRR framework, which has already enabled the safe return of more than 1 million displaced persons. It has been used to rehabilitate essential infrastructure, create economic opportunities and facilitate the demobilisation of more than 100,000 individuals from territories formerly controlled by armed groups.

The NFF will introduce a flexible, multi-year funding model designed to harmonise humanitarian, development and peacebuilding (HDP) efforts, prioritising locally driven solutions to strengthen regional responses to complex challenges.

The launch of the SMDF and NFF has been welcomed by partners, including Germany and Sweden, who have pledged their support to the initiatives.

“The launch of the SMDF and NFF is a game-changer for collaboration across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus,” said Ahunna Eziakonwa, UN Assistant Secretary-General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Africa.

“These groundbreaking mechanisms are about driving real change, transforming lives and building lasting resilience for communities that have faced instability for far too long.”

The SMDF and NFF are expected to have a significant impact on the region, particularly in terms of promoting sustainable development and advancing peace.

Anka Feldhusen, Director for Crisis Prevention at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, said: “Now is the time to act at scale and consolidate hard-won progress.”

The initiatives are a testament to the commitment of the international community to support the people of the Lake Chad Basin region in their efforts to build a more peaceful and resilient future.

MAMMAN MAHMOOD