AYGF, WFP distribute Ukrainian wheat to households in Katsina

The Africa Youth Growth Foundation (AYGF) has entered into a strategic partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to launch a wheat distribution project in Katsina State. The project, which targets five local government areas (LGAs), is aimed at supporting over 68,000 vulnerable households. It comes in response to food insecurity exacerbated by […]

The Africa Youth Growth Foundation (AYGF) has entered into a strategic partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to launch a wheat distribution project in Katsina State.

The project, which targets five local government areas (LGAs), is aimed at supporting over 68,000 vulnerable households.

It comes in response to food insecurity exacerbated by ongoing banditry and violence in the region.

The wheat distribution was inaugurated in Kurfi LGA, assisting households in Kurfi, Batsari, Dutsin-ma, Safana, and Danmusa.

According to the UN WFP representative, Dr. Hakeem Ajibola, the project aims to provide food assistance to vulnerable populations in Katsina, as well as in Zamfara and Sokoto States, as these areas have been significantly affected by the 2024 lean season.

Ajibola explained that the continued activities of armed bandits in the North-West, including attacks on farmers and farmlands, have crippled food cultivation in the region.

“The activities of these bandits have resulted in widespread destruction of farmlands and the theft of thousands of cattle and sheep, leaving communities struggling to access food,” he said.

The Executive Director of AYGF, Dr. Arome Salifu, emphasized the organization’s long-standing efforts in Katsina.

“We have been actively providing support in Katsina for over three years across 16 local government areas. Each beneficiary is expected to receive three and a half measurements of wheat,” he said.
Salifu noted that even larger households, regardless of size, will receive equal shares to ensure food is distributed evenly among families.

The Ukrainian wheat support is directed at the most vulnerable populations living in high-risk, security front-line areas.

The Ukrainian wheat project, facilitated by the WFP and AYGF, aims to address this growing crisis by distributing a total of 1,963 metric tons of wheat to 68,389 beneficiaries. These include internally displaced persons (IDPs), women-led households, people with disabilities, and youths across the affected LGAs.

Maryam Sodangi, Senior Special Assistant to Governor Dikko Radda, commended the efforts of both the WFP and AYGF. She highlighted that the wheat distribution aligns with the state government’s ongoing poverty alleviation programmes.

“This project will go a long way in reducing hunger in the state, and it also complements our agricultural initiatives to boost food production,” Sodangi, also the Chairperson, Task Force Committee on the distribution, said.

In the same vein, the Madakin Katsina, Alhaji Hamza Abubakar-Duwan, representing the Emir of Katsina, expressed his appreciation for the support and urged the beneficiaries to make proper use of the wheat in their households to ensure it meets their nutritional needs.