For Immediate Release

Press Release

The United States is providing $14 million in new development assistance funding for West Africa through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to help mitigate the impact of the global food crisis. The support is part of a $2.76 billion in United States government funding to protect the world’s most vulnerable populations from the escalating food crisis exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the historic drought in the Horn of Africa.

The additional funding will strategically align with existing Feed the Future programming and support efforts in 21 countries across West Africa as well as regional organizations to mitigate further increases in poverty, hunger, and malnutrition as a result of rising prices of food, fertilizer, and fuel. In partnership with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), USAID will work with humanitarian agencies and national authorities to strengthen the resilience of people and systems through improved food security monitoring and response systems; improve nutrition, particularly among women and children; and foster partnerships across the region to facilitate trade, especially in agricultural commodities.

With commodity price increases in sub-Saharan Africa exacerbating existing development challenges and humanitarian emergencies, these worsening conditions could trigger new setbacks for the region and make it more difficult for some African governments to deliver critical social services and maintain stability. The additional funding for West Africa will help to address supply chain disruptions and scale up fertilizer technologies, increase agricultural productivity, boost farmer incomes, and contribute towards improving food and nutrition security.

2022 Global Food Crisis
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Screenshot of August 29, 2022 West Africa Regional Press Release
Press Release August 29, 2022
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