By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
The European Commission has approved €2.3m in emergency assistance for Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR) and Chad to support measures aimed at curbing the spread of cholera in the affected countries.
The European Union (EU) delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) announced the funding on Monday, saying the intervention would support urgent measures aimed at preventing further transmission, improving access to treatment and strengthening surveillance and community response systems.
Nigeria will receive the largest share of the funding, with €1.5m earmarked to intensify the country’s response to the outbreak. The funds will support the deployment of additional intervention teams and the provision of essential supplies, including water points and household water, particularly in communities facing limited access to safe water.
The EU said the Nigerian intervention would also strengthen epidemiological surveillance in hard-to-reach areas, improve cholera case management and expand risk communication and community sensitisation activities designed to promote preventive measures.
The latest intervention comes amid growing concern over the scale of cholera transmission across Africa. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 61,000 cholera cases were reported in the African region during the first five months of 2026, underscoring the continuing public health and humanitarian challenges posed by the disease.
Cholera is primarily transmitted through contaminated food and water and can spread rapidly in communities where access to safe drinking water, sanitation and healthcare is inadequate.
Under the EU funding package, Cameroon will receive €100,000 to support outbreak containment and case management. The funding will provide additional personnel for humanitarian partners working on the ground, essential medicines, additional cholera treatment units and oral rehydration points in villages most affected by the outbreak.
The Central African Republic will receive €500,000 to scale up case management and vaccination programmes, while also expanding water, sanitation and hygiene interventions.
The funding will support stronger risk communication and community engagement, improved surveillance and case detection, as well as dignified and safe burial practices.
In Chad, the EU will provide €200,000 to help break the chain of cholera transmission through improved access to water, sanitation and hygiene facilities.
The funding will also strengthen community support for disease surveillance and case management.
The European Commission said the emergency assistance was designed to address both immediate health needs and some of the underlying conditions facilitating the spread of cholera, particularly inadequate access to clean water and sanitation.
European Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib said cholera remains a serious threat despite being both preventable and treatable.
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She said the disease could continue to claim lives where communities lack access to safe water and adequate healthcare, stressing the importance of rapid humanitarian intervention during outbreaks.
Lahbib said Europe would continue to support affected populations at a time when humanitarian needs are increasing while available resources are coming under growing pressure.
The EU intervention is expected to complement ongoing national and humanitarian responses in the four countries, with a focus on containing transmission, improving access to essential healthcare and strengthening community-level preparedness against further outbreaks.
