Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 22 March 2021 (HL13954), what plans they have (1) to allocate Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the Middle Belt in Nigeria, and (2) to target any such ODA to those displaced by farmer-herder conflict.

We continue to encourage the Nigerian Government to take urgent action to protect those at risk of intercommunal violence across the Middle Belt and implement long-term solutions that address root causes of such violence. We are increasing our engagement with state governments in affected areas, including Plateau, Kaduna and Benue States. We are also working with the Federal Government to respond to the challenge of resource competition, one of the drivers of intercommunal violence in this region, and welcome the National Livestock Transformation Plan, implemented in eight Middle Belt states. The plan aims to promote cattle-rearing in one place, rather than the traditional nomadic practice, to limit competition over land and resources leading to violence. A number of other states have expressed interest in this plan and we are encouraging their adoption of it.

The UK Government focuses its aid investment and expertise on the highest priority issues where the UK can make the most difference and achieve maximum impact, including in some Middle Belt states in Nigeria. For example, we have supported more than 15,000 displaced people in Kaduna State with cash grants for food, water, sanitation, and other non-food items. FCDO provides support to humanitarian organisations operating throughout Nigeria, including the World Food Programme (WFP), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO), Action Against Hunger, and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). FCDO publishes information on current funding on the Development Tracker website.