The World Bank has intensified its efforts to address the ongoing global food crisis, particularly focusing on Africa. With a commitment of $45 billion, exceeding its initial pledge of $30 billion over 15 months, the Bank aims to combat rising food insecurity through a combination of new lending and existing portfolio.
The Bank’s food and nutrition security portfolio now spans 90 countries, with a dual focus on short-term interventions, like expanding social protection, and longer-term resilience measures, such as boosting productivity and climate-smart agriculture. In Africa, these interventions are expected to benefit millions, with a specific emphasis on addressing the disproportionate impact on women.
For instance, in Eastern and Southern Africa, the $2.75 billion Food Systems Resilience Program aims to enhance the region’s food systems’ resilience and ability to tackle growing food insecurity. Similarly, the $766 million West Africa Food Systems Resilience Program is working to increase preparedness against food insecurity and improve the resilience of food systems in West Africa.
Additionally, the Bank is preparing an additional $345 million for Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo to further bolster food security efforts. Various country-specific initiatives are also underway, targeting diverse challenges. For example, in Malawi, a $95 million credit aims to increase the commercialization of select agriculture value chain products and provide an immediate response to crises or emergencies. In Madagascar, a $200 million grant seeks to strengthen decentralized service delivery, upgrade water supply, and enhance the resilience of food and livelihood systems in drought-prone areas.
Furthermore, the Sahel Irrigation Initiative Regional Support Project, with a budget of $175 million, is helping build resilience and boost productivity of agricultural and pastoral activities in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal. This project is benefitting over 130,000 farmers and members of pastoral communities through small and medium-sized irrigation initiatives, contributing to the overall goal of enhancing food security and livelihoods in the Sahel region.
