Anticipatory Action Framework: Nigeria - Floods (29 July 2025)

Executive Summary

The humanitarian sector is scaling up anticipatory action (AA), enabling proactive mobilization to get ahead of predictable climate-related shocks and disease outbreaks through robust forecasting (triggers), pre-agreed activities, and pre-arranged funding. This approach has proven effective, dignified, cost-efficient, and protective of development gains.

Nigeria faces recurrent and destructive flooding. In 2024, floods displaced 1.2 million people, destroyed 116,000 homes, critical infrastructure and 1.4 million hectares of farmland (an estimated loss of 1.1 million tons and $1 billion, enough to feed 13 million people). This is while people were still reeling from devastating floods in 2022 which had displaced 4 million people and destroyed 600,000 hectares of farmland.

This document presents the collective framework for flood anticipatory action in Nigeria. It entails coordinated packages of assistance planned to be delivered to people at risk of riverine floods in Nigeria across seven local government areas (LGAs) – Fufore, Yola South, Yola North, Girei, Demsa, Numan, and Lamurde – along the Benue River in Adamawa State, an area prone to recurrent flooding. The framework was developed through a participatory process of humanitarian partners and the Inter-Sector Coordination Group who formed a Core Anticipatory Action Group, coordinated by OCHA, under the overall leadership of the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC) and in collaboration with the government of Nigeria.