Japan Provides CFAF708 Million for Food Assistance in Cameroon

Japan has provided 200 million Japanese yen, equivalent to about CFAF708 million, to support food assistance in Cameroon. The contribution, announced by the United Nations World Food Programme on August 12, 2026, will benefit more than 13,000 refugees and internally displaced people in the Adamawa and Far North regions.

The financing comes as the agency faces a severe funding shortfall. It says it needs an additional 43.2 million United States dollars between August 2026 and January 2027, leaving 93 percent of its requirements unmet. Japan’s contribution represents about 2.9 percent of that gap.

World Food Programme Representative and Country Director Gianluca Ferrera said the support comes at a critical time for vulnerable populations. Cameroon has more than 2 million refugees, internally displaced people and returnees, while nearly 2.9 million people require humanitarian assistance.

Ferrera said food insecurity is often one of the first signs that families have exhausted their options and that humanitarian assistance helps them protect their livelihoods and dignity.

4.5 Million People Live in Areas at Risk of Acute Food Insecurity

The contribution comes against a broader backdrop of food insecurity. According to the Cameroon Joint Monitoring Report, about 4.5 million people were living in areas considered at risk of acute food insecurity in March 2026. This represented about 15 percent of the country’s estimated population of 30.2 million.

The report was prepared by the government, the World Bank, the World Food Programme and other development partners. The National Institute of Statistics published it on its website on August 7, 2026, although the document is dated April 2026 and had already been made available by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in June 2026.

Of the population living in areas at risk, about 1.8 million people were in conflict-affected areas in the Far North, North West and South West regions, while another 2.6 million lived in areas not directly affected by conflict.

The report found that more than one-third of households in conflict-affected areas had inadequate food consumption, compared with about one-quarter in other parts of the country.

Households outside conflict-affected areas benefited from better market access, more stable agricultural production and more diversified income sources. In conflict zones, households were more likely to cut essential non-food spending and sell productive assets to cope with economic pressure.

The World Food Programme’s funding shortage threatens its ability to sustain emergency food assistance, nutrition support, resilience programs and humanitarian services across Cameroon.

Japan’s latest contribution provides additional resources at a time when humanitarian needs remain high, but it covers only a small share of the agency’s overall financing gap.

Mercy Fosoh