Canada, the ninth largest economy in the world, has announced that it will provide C$73 million (US$56 million) to African countries, including Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya to build resilience against drought which has continued to affect the livelihoods of local communities.
The World Food Programme (WFP) had in April 2022 announced that the resurgence of drought in the Horn of Africa would place 20 million people in a situation of extreme famine, including 40% of the Somali population and 7 million Ethiopians.
With little or no rainfall for the fourth consecutive season, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are reported to be experiencing water stress that is affecting the agro pastoral activities on which several local communities depend. This is expected to push the populations of these three countries into food insecurity.
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Although April and May are supposed to be the wettest months of the year for the Horn of Africa region covering southern Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Djibouti, these months have repeatedly stayed arid and dry over the last three years – and there is no sign of anything changing this year.
Reacting to the decision by Canada to help countries fight the menace of drought, Harjit S. Sajjan, the country’s Minister of International Development, said with each passing day without rain, conditions continue to deteriorate for millions of people in the Horn of Africa who are unable to meet their basic needs for food and clean water, with women and children being the hardest hit.
“We will continue to work with our partners to provide much-needed assistance and contribute to the region’s efforts to avert a devastating famine,” he was quoted as saying.
Breaking down the funds, the Canadian government said that part of it– C$63.75 million (US$49 million) – would be distributed among UN agencies, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to fight hunger and malnutrition, while the remaining $9.8 million will fund sustainable development through the provision of water, sanitation, hygiene, education, women’s empowerment and climate change.
Recall that in October 2021, the World Bank through the International Development Association (IDA), approved a $150 million credit to support climate resilience projects in rural Kenya. The funding will be augmented during 2022 by a $21 million grant from the multi-donor Social Sustainability Initiative Trust Fund led by Denmark and Sweden and this will make it a total of $171 million allocated to Kenya.
The United Nations (UN) also recently secured $1.39 billion from international donors in Switzerland which is intended to prevent climatic hazards in East Africa, and to solve the famine accentuated by the Ukrainian crisis which fuels the inflation of foodstuffs all over the world, notably in Somalia and Ethiopia.
Story was adapted from Afrik 21.
