KSrelief signs US$5.3 M cholera response agreement with WHO for Lake Chad Basin

AFRICA—The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have signed a USD 5,327,244.97 joint implementation agreement to strengthen cholera preparedness and response in the Lake Chad Basin.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly by Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah, Advisor to the Royal Court and Supervisor General of KSrelief, and Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO.

Project Targets Five Countries

The project will cover Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger and Nigeria, combining water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions with disease surveillance and medical support.

Under the agreement, the partners will drill wells and rehabilitate public latrines to improve access to safe water and sanitation.

They will also strengthen epidemiological surveillance and provide medicines and medical supplies to support cholera treatment and outbreak response.

In addition, the project will rehabilitate healthcare facilities and equip radiology, sterilisation, operating theatre, emergency and intensive care units serving both children and adults.

Cholera Burden Continues to Rise

The initiative comes as cholera continues to affect communities across the WHO African Region.

The region reported more than 61,000 cases during the first five months of 2026.

Nigeria has recorded the region’s largest outbreak, with more than 50,000 cases and 338 deaths reported since January. In Chad, children under 15 account for nearly two-thirds of reported infections.

The wider Lake Chad Basin also faces significant humanitarian needs.

About 8.2 million people require humanitarian assistance, while only 22 percent of the funding required to address those needs had been secured by April 2026.

Officials Highlight Need for Sustained Support

Al Rabeeah said the agreement represents an important step in addressing the growing cholera threat facing communities in the Lake Chad Basin.

He added that cooperation between KSrelief and WHO would support efforts to improve WASH services and strengthen healthcare systems despite the region’s funding shortfall.

Tedros said cholera remains preventable and treatable but continues to cause deaths in communities already experiencing severe humanitarian pressures.

He said sustained support would help the five countries detect outbreaks earlier, respond more quickly and provide life-saving treatment to affected communities.

As of the end of August 2026, KSrelief had implemented 4,457 humanitarian and relief projects worth US$8.57 billion across 113 countries.

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