Nigeria receives $187.3m US assistance amid review of aid conditions

Nigeria received a total of $187,352,312 in foreign assistance from the United States in 2026, according to updated figures published by the US Department of State on May 20, 2026.

 

Data from the US Foreign Assistance report showed that Nigeria ranked as the second-largest recipient of US aid in sub-Saharan Africa, behind Ethiopia.

 

The largest share of the funding came through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which accounted for $186,715,308 of the total disbursement.

 

Other agencies that contributed include the Department of State with $370,210, the Department of Defence with $240,146, the Department of the Interior with $16,456, the Department of Agriculture with $10,042, and the Department of Transportation with $150.

 

Several US agencies recorded no disbursements during the period, including the Millennium Challenge Corporation, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Justice, Department of Commerce, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, Peace Corps, and the US Army, Navy and Air Force.

 

The disclosure comes as US lawmakers consider tighter conditions for future assistance to Nigeria.

 

Last month, the US House Appropriations Committee advanced provisions in the proposed 2027 appropriations bill that could impose stricter oversight on aid to Nigeria.

 

Under the proposal, up to 50 per cent of US assistance to Nigeria could be withheld until the US Secretary of State certifies that the Nigerian government is making effective progress in addressing insecurity, protecting vulnerable groups, and ensuring accountability for violence-related offences.

 

The proposal also includes cost-sharing measures and ties future funding to improvements in counterterrorism operations, human rights protection and humanitarian response efforts.

 

The bill still requires approval by the full US Congress and the President before becoming law.

 

The Nigerian government has repeatedly denied allegations of religious persecution, insisting that insecurity affects Nigerians across religious divides while maintaining cooperation with the United States on security reforms.