Isle of Man donates £50,000 in emergency aid to Niger

An emergency aid donation of £50,000 has been awarded to Niger by the Isle of Man's Council of Ministers.

The Overseas Aid Committee made the donation as the West African country has been battling a severe food crisis, a spokesman said.

Last year, the government and other agencies gave care to 313,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition.

Phil Gawne MHK said: "The committee is glad to be able to provide funding to support this work."

He added: "Though the crisis has not figured highly in the media recently, there are a great many people in serious need in the country, which ranks third lowest on the United Nations Development Index."