African Development Bank is planning to utilize $34 million in Regional Emergency Response Project (STRERP) for Somalia.
The fund which came from both the Transition Support Facility of the African Development Fund and the regional envelope will be used in food security.
According to AFDB, the STRERP project aims to provide emergency food assistance, fodder for pastoralists and medical supplies to about 800,000 Somalians, who are most vulnerable to the impact of the drought.
It also puts in place the preliminary building blocks to strengthen links between the production, distribution and consumption hubs of the food systems in the affected regions, leading to increased system-wide efficiency and longer-term resilience.
“STRERP Somalia aims to immediately address the humanitarian needs of those affected by drought and famine. As a response to food security, the Bank has supported the people of Somalia, mobilizing approximately $34 million, from both the Transition Support Facility of the African Development Fund and the regional envelope,” reads statement by the bank.
Elmi Omar Aainsane, Acting and Deputy Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, welcomed the invited delegates on behalf of the Federal Government of Somalia.
He commended the African Development Bank for its timely action against famine in the region, assuring that the assistance would get to the beneficiaries.
Speaking on the occasion, AfDB Deputy Director General for East Africa, Nnenna Nwabufo underscored that the Bank’s response demonstrates its commitment to supporting and assisting its Regional Members Countries (RMCs) that are severely affected by prolonged drought periods and unstable food production systems.
“Food security and healthy food for all in Africa, that’s what the African Development Bank strives for through its many projects and work in Regional Member Countries,” Nwabufo said.
The meeting also brought together representatives from the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD), Save the Children, and the United Nations; Ministers from the Federal and Member States, as well as civil servants from different Ministries of federal government of Somalia.
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