CBM and FAO discuss disability-inclusive food security response in Nigeria

7.8 million people need aid in North-East Nigeria. CBM and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) discuss how to include persons with disabilities in food access during humanitarian responses. In Maiduguri, a meeting on food security and inclusion points to where humanitarian response still falls short.

The crisis in North-East Nigeria has driven widespread displacement across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe and continues to strain food security, protection and access to basic services. Persons with disabilities face those pressures while also confronting physical barriers, communication gaps and social exclusion that often keep them at the edge of response efforts. In 2025, humanitarian reporting still described the situation in the three states as a protracted crisis, with nearly 2 million internally displaced people and 7.8 million people in need of assistance.

For persons with disabilities in North-East Nigeria, exclusion from humanitarian support often means exclusion from food assistance, livelihood opportunities and recovery itself. In a region where conflict and displacement have upended daily life, inclusive planning shapes who gets reached, who is consulted and who has a fair chance to rebuild.

Led by Country Director Samuel Omoi, CBM Nigeria paid a courtesy visit to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO, in Maiduguri, Borno State, on 3 March 2026.

The visit laid the groundwork for stronger collaboration on disability-inclusive programming in the region.

Localising humanitarian action

CBM and FAO have already collaborated to disseminate the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan and to organise a localisation workshop for local and national partners in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states.

The meeting looked ahead, with both sides discussing how future interventions in the region could better include persons with disabilities.

During the meeting, Omoi acknowledged FAO’s role in the food security sector, especially its support in facilitating the localisation of inclusive humanitarian responses. He also highlighted CBM’s work to improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities and pointed to areas where closer collaboration could make a difference, especially in agriculture and livelihoods.

CBM also used the meeting to underline what it brings to humanitarian action. The organisation is ready to support partners and international non-governmental organisations with technical guidance on disability inclusion, from project design and beneficiary selection to implementation. In practice, this means helping programmes identify and remove barriers before they exclude the people most at risk of being missed.

Inclusion improves humanitarian response

In North-East Nigeria, that matters. Persons with disabilities often face greater barriers to information, mobility, registration and access in emergency settings. When inclusion is built into food security and livelihood interventions from the start, response systems are better placed to reach people with dignity and consistency.

FAO’s representatives Prof. Salisu Mohammed, FAO Meal and Food Security Specialist, Ali Galol, FAO Head of Office, Northeast Sub-Regional Office welcomed the discussion and indicated that future engagement. They encouraged developing a proposal to identify clear areas for collaboration.

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