Backgrounder: Minister Sajjan concludes trip to Chad and announces development and humanitarian assistance funding

Minister Sajjan concluded a visit to Chad on May 27, 2023.

While in Chad, Minister Sajjan, accompanied by Arielle Kayabaga, Member of Parliament for London West, met with Sudanese and Cameroonian refugees living in N’Djamena and learned about their situation and the assistance they are receiving. They also visited a local hospital supported by Gavi and the Global Fund—multilateral health funds supported by Canada—where they learned about current and future challenges faced by Chad in delivering essential health services. Minister Sajjan and MP Kayabaga also met with humanitarian, development and like-minded partners to discuss the current needs and challenges in Chad.

Minister Sajjan announced $39.8 million in new funding for gender-responsive humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of people in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger and Nigeria. The humanitarian assistance is being provided to UN agencies, the Red Cross and other non-governmental organizations. The assistance will help provide the most vulnerable with food, nutrition and other critical life-saving assistance, such as health care, safe water and sanitation, and protection services. This brings Canada’s total 2023 humanitarian assistance funding for Sahel and Lake Chad Basin countries to $61.47 million. The breakdown by country is as follows:

• Burkina Faso: $9.8 million 
• Cameroon: $5 million 
• Chad: $8.52 million 
• Mali $10.75 million 
• Niger: $8.8 million 
• Nigeria: $18.6 million 

Minister Sajjan also announced the funding for Canada’s new Sahel Regional Development Program as well as $62 million in development assistance funding for 3 projects. Details are as follows. 

Program: Sahel Regional Development Program
Funding: Up to $27 million by 2025 to 2026
Description: Canada’s Sahel Regional Development Program aims to support and meet the pressing needs of the populations of the Sahel by focusing on gender equality, human dignity, economic growth, peace and security, and climate change resilience, and by allowing for broad and flexible programming options to adequately respond to the environment, political and the socio-economic challenges that the region faces.

Project: CanGIVE Vaccine Delivery and Health System Strengthening
Partner: World Health Organization
Funding: $27 million ($57 million total project value)
As part of Canada’s signature Global Initiative for Vaccine Equity (CanGIVE), this project in 7 African countries aims to increase equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, particularly among priority groups and vulnerable populations, and to strengthen health systems. The project will support the integration of COVID-19 vaccination into routine health services and reinforce immunization systems through strengthened community outreach, data systems, and the delivery of gender-equitable immunization and primary health care.

Project: Gender-transformative conservation of the Lake Chad Basin
Partner: Alinea
Funding: $25 million
The project aims to enhance the climate resilience of ecosystems and marginalized communities structurally vulnerable to climate change, especially women and youth, through nature-based climate solutions within and adjacent to 6 Lake Chad Basin protected areas in Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

Project: Strengthening Resilience of Women to Climate Change in Chad 
Partner: SOCODEVI
Funding: $10 million 
This project supports young rural women groundnut and sesame producers in Guéra Province to adapt to the impacts of climate change while also providing them with the knowledge and training to exercise their rights more fully in decision-making spaces on peace and security, gender-sensitive agricultural solutions and climate change adaptation.