Currently operational in three of the four Lake Chad Basin countries: Cameroon, Chad, and Nigeria. Currently funded by the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO).
$5.9M
Funded by
https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en
Total Funding Envelope in 2025 for Cameroon & Chad.
Launched at the 5th Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum, Maiduguri, Nigeria — 31 January 2025 → Read the press release
Why Do We Need the Nexus Funding Facility?
The Lake Chad Region faces a long-term crisis characterized by violent extremist groups, massive displacement, and severe climate change impacts, leading to insecurity and human suffering. Without a strategic, coordinated, and regional approach, resources will not be fully utilized to capacity, and the root causes of instability will remain unaddressed.
To overcome these challenges, the Nexus Funding Facility (NFF) will:
- Strengthen the coordination among donors and humanitarian, development, and peace actors for an integrated approach and collective impact
- Reinforce strategic oversight, accountability, and reporting lines for consistent action
- Encourage greater national and regional ownership of donor activities for locally-driven initiatives
Objectives of the NFF
The Nexus Funding Facility (NFF) is a multi-donor fund, facilitating integrated and sustainable solutions for the ongoing crises in the Lake Chad Basin. It operates under the Regional Strategy for Stabilisation, Resilience and Reconstruction of the Lake Chad Basin Commission Regional Strategy for Stabilisation, Recovery and Resilience (RS-SRR)
The NFF aims to reduce inefficiencies and duplication by ensuring that humanitarian, development, and peace actors cooperate towards common goals through shared analysis and joint planning. This coordinated approach aims to overcome humanitarian needs and provides a path to dignity, safety, and security.
The NFF provides flexible, multi-year funding to consortia of specialized national (I)NGOs and UN agencies. By promoting coordination, the NFF not only provides essential resources but strengthens the RC/HC's mandates, enhancing the effectiveness of interventions.
Finally, this approach seeks to break the cycle of dependency and build long-term resilience for people in need.
The SMDF and NFF were officially launched on 31st January 2025 at the 5th Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum in Maiduguri, Nigeria, with the support of Germany and Sweden.
The NFF within the Special Multi-partner Delivery Fund (SMDF)
The NFF is the Nexus Window, Component 3, of the broader Special Multi-partner Delivery Fund (SMDF), a regional basket fund established to provide strategic financing for the implementation of the RS-SRR across the Lake Chad Basin. The SMDF brings together three complementary components: institutional support to the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC); disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation, reinsertion and reintegration (DDRRR) of persons associated with Boko Haram; and the NFF itself.
Operationalized through a regional window, the SMDF harnesses collective action from UN agencies, governments, donors, and civil society to enable coherent, multi-agency responses to the crisis. Within this architecture, the NFF serves as the dedicated vehicle for joint humanitarian, development, and peace programming, thereby incentivizing partners to move away from siloed approaches and towards area-based, nexus-oriented interventions.
NFF in Practice
The NFF is supporting integrated projects to improve access to essential services, rebuild livelihoods, and promote social cohesion in conflict-affected communities. This includes immediate humanitarian assistance like food and healthcare, along with long-term development efforts such as agricultural training, small business support, and stabilization as well as peacebuilding measures, e.g. conflict resolution workshops. By addressing both immediate needs and root causes, the NFF aims to create sustainable solutions for lasting peace and stability.
Country Priorities 2025–2026
National priorities are identified at country level with local and international partners, using existing sectorial and thematic plans. They are validated by National Nexus Task Forces (NNTFs) through an inclusive process involving local authorities, government, civil society, and international partners.
- Cameroon — Far North Region
Including hard-to-reach and cross-border areas
- Sustainable livelihoods & food/nutrition security
- Inclusive and durable basic social services
- Social cohesion, peacebuilding & community stabilization
- Climate resilience & natural resource governance
- Localization & inclusive governance
- Chad — Lac & Hadjer-Lamis Provinces
Including cross-border dynamics with Cameroon
- Essential social services
- Livelihoods & food security
- Social cohesion & community participation
- Inclusive local governance & institutional legitimacy
- Climate resilience & disaster preparedness
Governance Structure
The NFF structure is designed to ensure accountability, transparency, and effectiveness, leveraging diverse stakeholders' strengths while focusing clearly on strategic objectives. For full details on the governance bodies and their respective roles, see the Governance tab.
Why We Should All Work Together to Make the NFF a Success
- The NFF's inclusive governance structure ensures strategic coordination, regional oversight, and local ownership of humanitarian, development, and peace efforts in the Lake Chad Basin region.
- By pooling multiple donors' funding and expertise, the NFF maximizes the impact of bilateral funding streams.
- It builds on successful coordination between humanitarian and development actors, integrating peace activities to address the Lake Chad Basin region's long-term instability and reduce ongoing humanitarian needs.
- The NFF involves local and national actors through national HDP Working Groups and the regional Governance Board to ensure both ownership and long-term commitment.
Get Involved
Our Donors
The NFF is made possible through the generous contributions of its donor partners. Their funding enables coordinated, multi-year responses to the Lake Chad Basin crisis.
German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO) www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en
Germany’s foreign humanitarian arm, the GFFO, supports crisis prevention, stabilization, and transitional assistance in some of the world’s most fragile contexts.
Interested in contributing to the NFF? Contact the Secretariat at: [email protected]
Past Call for Proposals 2025
The NFF launched its first Call for Proposals (Stage 1 — Concept Notes and Stage 2 — Full Proposals) for Cameroon and Chad in 2025. Eligible consortia including at least one national CSO were invited to submit by 23 November 2025. Visit the Calls for Proposals tab for full details, templates, and eligibility requirements.
The next Call for Proposals is expected in the second quarter of 2026.
For information and updates, contact the NFF Secretariat: