WFP warns 910,000 risk losing life-saving aid in Cameroon over drastic funding shortfalls.

The UN agency painted the gloomy picture with indications of an even worse 2026 outlook, during a Brunch with the Media at the Country Office in Yaounde on Friday, December 5, 2025.

The Representative and Country Director of WFP in Cameroon and Sao Tome and Principe, Gianluca Ferrera, used the event to appeal for urgent intervention from traditional donors, government, civil society as well as the private sector actors to meet the immediate needs of the vulnerable populations in the Far North, North West, South West and East Regions. 

Gianluca disclosed that WFP urgently needs USD 67.5 million between December 2025 to May 2026, and a global sum of USD 156 million for the entire 2026, to maintain life-saving assistance. 

“We are appealing today for at least 67 million US dollars for the immediate needs of the vulnerable population in the Far North, North West, South West and East Regions of the country. WFP is currently confronted with severe shortage of funding in our pipe line for 2026,” Gianluca stated. 

Risks of inaction on needy population 

Without the funding, Gianluca said most of the activities WFP and partners are implementing will have to stop, bringing forward a number of risks and a reversal of gains achieved in addressing malnutrition among children aged 5 years and pregnant and breastfeeding women, including those living with HIV.  

“We may be going backward instead of going forward,” Gianluca warned, adding that inaction will also see over 52,000 children losing out on school meals from January 2026 and over 500,000 at risk of immediately losing food and nutrition assistance.

With funding having declined from USD 106 million in 2022 to USD 20 million in 2025, he said WFP will be forced to significantly scale down operations, with risk of closure of five offices. 

Aid lack of funding will force vulnerable population to adopt the worst coping mechanisms like moving out the communities to other places, exposing them to more insecurity situations.

He said hostile groups especially in the Far North Region may also take advantage of the withdrawal of humanitarian actors to further intensify their control of the terrain, a situation which he stated, will increase the rate of food insecurity and malnutrition.

Zoom on gains despite declining funding 

Despite the drastic decline in funding, he said the WFP has in collaboration with government, sister Un agencies, and partners stayed committed to tackling food insecurity, malnutrition and their root causes within its 5-year Country Strategic Plan (2022-2026) which aligns with the national development priorities. 

Through its five thematic areas of emergency response including nutrition, resilience, institutional capacity strengthening and on-demand service and UNHAS, the WFP, he added, has been relentless.

Gianluca said WFP has been addressing urgent food and nutrition needs of people facing crisis, preventing and treating malnutrition in children below 5 years, pregnant and breastfeeding women, supporting communities to withstand shocks, enhancing national systems and programmes as well as providing logistics and humanitarian air services. 

Between 2018 and 2025, he revealed that WFP has assisted 905,175 people with cash worth USD 86.24 million and distributed food totaling 231,698 metric tonnes. 

This year, which he said has seen the most drastic drop in assistance, Gianluca said WFP assisted 737,487 people with USD 9.4 million and 5,524 metric tonnes of food. 

Building resilience 

Aside providing life-saving assistance to vulnerable, he said WFP has also engaged series of long-term development interventions to tackle root causes of food insecurity and build resilience in communities. 

With its Livelihood and Smallholder Farmer support, Gianluca said WFP has supported 25,000 smallholder farmers to withstand shocks through livelihood support, climate-smart agriculture and market access support. 

WFP, he added, has with its Home-Grown School Feeding, supported 92,000 children in 2025 with nutritious meals, improving education outcomes and strengthening human capital while contributing to local economy. 

Through its nutrition intervention, Gianluca said WFP has prevented and treated malnutrition among vulnerable groups, assisting 128,645, especially women and children below five. 

The Country Director said the agency has also promoted climate-resilient practices, environmental sustainability and adaptation strategies to reduce vulnerability.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3649 of Monday December 08, 2025