The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing $2 million to support the UN World Food Program (WFP) East Africa Innovation Hub to find innovative solutions to strengthen food security by moving beyond traditional food assistance towards long-term resilience. This support builds on an additional $2.5 million in support USAID provided for WFP's innovation efforts in Fiscal Year 2021 alone.
Part of this support for the regional hub will focus on local, private-sector solutions in South Sudan, Rwanda, and Uganda and build on USAID’s ongoing partnership with WFP. With the region facing the compounding impacts of insecurity, COVID-19, and natural disaster including flooding that destroys crops and livelihoods, the hub will encourage early-stage entrepreneurs to develop innovative solutions to address gaps in current efforts and take on the greatest challenges to addressing food insecurity. In addition, it will provide entrepreneurs with access to funding, mentorship, and hands-on support to turn their ideas into actions that will help to tackle hunger.
The U.S. is the single largest donor to WFP’s lifesaving work globally. Since 2018, USAID has supported WFP’s Innovation Accelerator to encourage groundbreaking solutions to food insecurity. While compounding disasters introduce new challenges to humanitarian response, this support is critical to implementing systemic changes and identifying new, more effective approaches in how WFP and other organizations respond to needs across the region.
For more information on USAID’s humanitarian assistance, including food assistance, please visit: usaid.gov.