Japan contributes over $30m for emergency food assistance in Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, September 16, 2020 (FBC) -The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced the Government of Japan has contributed $30.24 million to support Ethiopia to meet relief food needs of communities affected by shocks such as COVID-19, desert locusts, drought and flooding.

Channelled through the Government’s National Disaster Risk Management Commission, the contribution will meet the acute food needs of over 1.6 million people in the regions of Afar, Amhara, Oromia, SNNP, Sidama and Tigray in the framework of the 2020 Humanitarian Response Plan.

During a virtual launching event in Addis Ababa with the National Disaster Risk Management Commission, the Embassy of Japan and WFP, the WFP Ethiopia Representative and Country Director Steven Were Omamo said that the donation comes at a critical time for Ethiopia’s food security.

With this contribution from Japan, WFP has been handling the procurement, shipment, receipt and overland transport of 72,440MT of wheat to the government warehouses. The food will be forwarded to distribution points by the National Disaster Risk Management Commission.

At the event, Japanese Ambassador to Ethiopia Matsunaga Daisuke said that the contribution is intended to mitigate unprecedented impacts on vulnerable people by disasters such as COVID-19, desert locusts, drought and flooding.

It was committed by Japanese Prime Minister Abe in his talks last April with Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed, according to a press released the Japan embassy sent to FBC today.

The contribution is also based on Japanese commitment to support African development particularly through the TICAD (Tokyo International Conference on African Development) initiative, it added.