Estimated costs of national response plans, January 2020 (pre-Covid-19)

Countries moved swiftly and decisively to anticipate and respond to the food and nutrition crisis which began to emerge in December 2019. In early 2020, six countries (Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Chad, Mali, Niger and Senegal) had already drawn up response plans totalling more than 400 billion CFA francs (EUR 610 million). Estimated costs are based on the findings of the CH analysis and reflect the number of acutely food-insecure people and the degree to which they are vulnerable (phases 3-5). Response plans are made up of several sections: food assistance, livelihood protection (resilience) and measures to combat malnutrition. They also include co-ordination and the system of monitoring and evaluation (M&E). The budget and allocation of funds varies from one country to another. In Niger, the national response plan includes measures to strengthen the resilience of chronically vulnerable households, using multiannual social safety nets. These costs are not routinely included in other action plans, which accounts in part for the difference between budgets.