The United Nations Children’s Fund has announced cutting back on recruitment and travel among steps to minimize the impact of the Trump government’s cutback in USAID funding.
The UNICEF Regional Director of West and Central Africa, Gilles Fagninou, made this disclosure on Monday during an inspection tour of a few of the agency’s running projects at Hajj Camp, Maiduguri, Borno State.
He stated that UNICEF is working very closely with a few African governments to determine how they can work together and reduce the impact of the cuts in funding by US President Donald Trump.
“We are patronizing other sources of funds. We are negotiating with the Government and they are making arrangements to plug the gap which was left when the funding cut came from the US and others.”. UNICEF is also putting extra efforts, the government is also putting extra efforts so that they can look for resources so that they may come and fill the gap. So, that effort will continue. We cannot do everything, but whatever we can do, we will use it in an efficient way.
“As a precautionary, we are reducing travels, and our employees to be able to have more efficiency in what we do. The US measure will affect the whole world. No doubt that they are a huge source of our funding, but, mitigation measures are being taken and the effect is not as large as expected”, he continued.
Gilles said he was in the state primarily to observe the activities of UNICEF programmes and support the state government.
“I came to observe the activities of the assistance of UNICEF to the government. You know humanitarian aid is of the highest priority and that will continue regardless of funding issues.”
He elaborated further that UNICEF has now cut spending based on the robustness of the resources.
We are here to assist government and communities and we are doing this on UNICEF’s own budget and those we got from other sources. Funding has always been in doubt. We are simply making sure that we got the minimum we require to respond to the need we have on the ground.
He commended the efforts of UNICEF Borno in the ongoing health and education interventions at the Hajj camp where repentant Boko Haram insurgents and their families are being rehabilitated.
“I have witnessed a group of individuals who are working in this Hajj camp with what they have and are rendering help to the people who are reporting to this camp and that is what counts,” he said.
