Culture Government International News Society

World Food Day Statement:Nowhere is the severity of this crisis more pronounced than in the Horn of Africa – USAID

 

This World Food Day, the world faces a global food security crisis of historic proportions. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the deepening climate crisis, spiking prices for energy, food and fertilizer, and armed conflicts, including Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, have plunged millions into unprecedented levels of hunger and malnutrition. Nowhere is the severity of this crisis more pronounced than in the Horn of Africa, where four consecutive failed rainy seasons have decimated livelihoods and pushed approximately 21 million people to the brink of starvation. Just last month, the Famine Review Committee projected that without a significant expansion of humanitarian assistance, parts of Somalia will soon be plunged into Famine. If the seasonal rains fail for a fifth consecutive time this fall, as experts expect, and if humanitarian assistance levels remain inadequate, Ethiopia could soon follow.

USAID has been at the forefront of efforts to fight the food crisis in the Horn and elsewhere, beginning with expanding humanitarian aid. In the last year, USAID has provided emergency food and other complementary humanitarian assistance to people in need across 55 countries – an effort that includes a historic commitment of $200 million to scale up access to treatment for severe wasting in children, including procurement of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food.

This commitment built on our existing financial commitments to fight hunger around the world, which since the start of Putin’s war in Ukraine has amounted to more than $10 billion in humanitarian assistance. That includes more than $68 million to support the procurement, transport, and storage of up to 150,000 metric tons of Ukrainian wheat, which is being transported through Black Sea ports thanks to diplomacy that opened up the ports after months-long blockade by Putin. And just last month, at the United Nations General Assembly, President Biden announced over $2.9 billion in new assistance from the U.S. government, including $2 billion in emergency assistance that will help save lives in countries facing crisis levels of food insecurity.

Because hunger cannot be fought with emergency food assistance alone, we are also making substantial investments in agricultural productivity and resilience in food systems. President Biden’s announcement last month included $140 million in new development funding to accelerate last-mile delivery of agricultural tools, technologies, and production methods that will help smallholder farmers to boost their productivity, efficiency, and incomes. The new funding supplements USAID’s existing work creating and distributing new seeds that resist drought, heat, and disease, investing in the research and development of climate-smart agricultural innovations, and protecting and promoting women farmers’ right to own their own land.

These investments build and expand on our previous efforts and demonstrate our commitment to act with urgency and at a scale critical for responding to the growing food security and nutrition needs of hundreds of millions of people around the world. And they depend on the strength of our partnerships – with governments, private sector companies, non-governmental organizations, and local communities and individuals, particularly women and marginalized populations. At the 27th United Nations Climate Change conference in Egypt next month, USAID will continue to leverage our partnerships to better build climate resilience in food systems and farming communities.

On this World Food Day, I’m grateful to all of the members of the USAID family – whether here at the Agency or through our external partnerships – that are helping fight global hunger. The collective action we take today means a better tomorrow for millions of people. Our efforts help build a more peaceful, prosperous world where no one is hungry, and no one is left behind.

USAID

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published.

You may also like

Business Economy International News

Business support groups poised to drive African integration

post-image

Regional and continental business support organizations can help Africa’s private sector benefit from the continent’s free trade area, after a webinar that highlighted progress the Agreement has made.

 

Business support organizations can play a crucial role in the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The International Trade Centre (ITC) and the AfCFTA Secretariat held a webinar to update these organizations on the free trade bloc’s negotiations and implementation. The session also presented findings of their joint exercise to map business support organizations across the region.

The regional and continental business groups used the session to voice their priorities and needs, as well as to explore methods to update their services on the AfCFTA.

The collaborative effort is part of a broader joint commitment to make free trade work for Africa’s private sector.

Kicking off the session, the AfCFTA Secretariat explained its Guided Trade Initiative. The new scheme aims…

Read More
Business Culture Opinion Society

INTL. WOMEN DAY: NITDA IMPLEMENTS INITIATIVES TO BRIDGE GENDER DIVIDE

post-image

 

The Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE has said that the Agency has been implementing several initiatives and programmes aimed at bridging the gender divide that exists in the Information Technology sector.

The Director General made this disclosure through his Special Adviser on Innovation and Strategy, Mrs. Iklima Musa at a programme in Abuja organised by the African School of Economics, (ASE) in partnership with African Women Entrepreneurship Programme, (AWEP) to commemorate the World International Women’s Day with the theme “Embrace Equity: Cracking the Code”.

Inuwa informed that part of the programmes the Agency has embarked on to bridge the gender divide was a training organised on the 7th of this month where the agency trained 200 women in digital marketing, digital entrepreneurship and 3D painting and “we are planning to train another 200 women this month and the next,” he revealed.

He said that, “There is…

Read More
Business Economy Energy

Transmission Substation Groundbreaking: Minister Rallies Support for APC

post-image

 

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the installation of 1 x 60MVA Transmission substation in Oro, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, with a call on the people of the state to sustain their support for APC in the forthcoming governorship and House of Assembly elections.

Speaking at the occasion on Thursday, Alhaji Mohammed, who was accompanied by the Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, Engr. Sule Abdulazeez, the Council of traditional chiefs and some APC stalwarts in the state, said the project would lead to improved power supply to Oro and its environs, boost economic activities, especially for artisans and small and medium scale businesses, and enhance the social development of the people.

He therefore implored the people of the community to ensure peace and security in order to enable the contractor to deliver the project within the…

Read More
Announcements Business Investments Software Technology

Hyperspace Technologies Introduces Keymaster VAULT: A Low-Cost, NFC- Based Hardware Wallet for the African Market 

post-image

Hyperspace Technologies (https://hyperspace.ng), a Lagos-based Web3 startup specializing in next-level smart security infrastructure and key management systems, today announced the launch of its groundbreaking product, the Keymaster VAULT (https://keymaster.ng).

Designed to cater to the African market, Keymaster VAULT is a secure, NFC-based hardware wallet that stores private keys offline, offering an affordable and user-friendly alternative to expensive and complicated traditional hardware wallets.

Leveraging the simplicity of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, the Keymaster VAULT allows users to securely access their digital assets by merely tapping their NFC-enabled devices.

This eliminates complex installation processes, making the wallet an ideal choice for both cryptocurrency novices and experienced users. With offline storage of private keys, the wallet significantly reduces the risk of hacks and malware attacks associated with online storage.

“We wanted to…

Read More
Business Economy Investments News Opinion

Currency slump sees surge in demand for dollars assets in West Africa despite greenback’s ongoing strength (By Abiodun Adebimpe)

post-image

The Russian-Ukraine war and the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have severely weakened West African economies and currencies – but businesses and investors are looking to dollar assets to mitigate the damage.

 

As most West African economies are commodity-driven, any development within the global economy that affects the supply and/or demand of commodities imports and exports portends significant currency weakening effects on the economies.

 

Recent and ongoing global events have created massive demand destruction in crude oil, agricultural products and precious metals such as gold. Supply chains are also still to recover.

 

As a result, most West African currencies such as the Nigerian Naira (NGN) and the Ghanaian Cedis (GHC) have significantly weakened.

 

It is a major source of concern – and an ongoing challenge- for most Nigerian businesses and those in other West African countries.

 

Fiscal and monetary imbalances compound the problem.

 

The import-dependent nature of most West African markets implies huge demand…

Read More
Business Culture

Appearance will give you a leg in the room – Fola Daniel Adelesi

post-image

 

Several years ago, a company was going to run a corporate event at one of the prime hotels in Lagos. You probably already have an idea of the location or possible locations. You may understand the fanfare that will accompany that kind of event. We all know that half of the activities will not be needed or noticed but they still go into the event anyway.

Sometimes, the organizers are scared of failure and you can tell from their facial expressions or tones when they talk to you over the phone. They want a perfect event and they sometimes want to see that perfection in you as a vendor. The implication is that you have to be the one allaying fears by demonstrating the perfection they want to see.

I saw the ad for this company’s event and decided to bid to compere the event. I had experience on my side…

Read More
Announcements Business Economy Events Fintech International Technology Technology Trends Telecoms Travels Trends

Global tech pioneers and innovators look to supercharge double-digit business growth across Africa

post-image

 

International powerhouse brands turn to inaugural GITEX Africa 2023 as launchpad to scale operations in the world’s next biggest digital economy

Global tech pioneers and innovators are preparing to supercharge double-digit business growth across Africa, as they eagerly anticipate the debut of the continent’s largest and most inclusive tech and start-up event in Marrakech, Morocco.

GITEX Africa will open doors for the first time from 31 May-2 June 2023, welcoming 500 exhibitors and 400 start-ups from 95 countries, with regional and international companies exuberant about the potential of the world’s rising tech continent, and the opportunities amplified by Africa’s ongoing Digital Transformation Strategy.

Among those spearheading the charge into African tech’s showpiece event is Japanese headquartered Epson; American giants Autodesk, Honeywell, Hewlett Packard, Dell, ESRi, Nutanix, Cisco and Shure; Lenovo, Huawei, and TP Link from China; along with DP World and the Technology Innovation Institute from the UAE.

With the African Union’s bold…

Read More
Art Business Culture

How Mykmary Fashion Boss, Michael Onyemah Keeps  Empowering Fashion Entrepreneurs to Succeed in Business.

post-image

.

The fashion industry is growing in leaps and bounds in Nigeria, worth billions of dollars annually, but many of the small players in the industry are not benefiting from this exposure and boom.

For many fashion enthusiasts, pursuing a career in the fashion industry seems like a dream come true. The idea of designing beautiful garments and creating unique styles that make people feel confident and beautiful is what draws many to the industry. However, it takes more than just creativity and passion to succeed as a fashion entrepreneur. It requires a solid understanding of business principles and strategies that can help drive sales and grow a successful fashion business.

Speaking to a group of journalists during a press conference, the founder and chief executive officer of Mykmary Fashion House, Micheal Onyemah, said “in today’s fashion industry, to sustain a fashion business over time, it is necessary to have a steady…

Read More