World Bank okays $40m grant for Somalia’s locust response

The World Bank said on Tuesday it has approved a 40 million U.S. dollar grant for Somalia to fight locust invasion which has impacted the livelihoods of nearly 2.6 million people living in 43 districts.

News Keydmedia Online
30 June 2020

The bank said the grant is part of the emergency locust response program which seeks to respond to the threat posed by the locust outbreak and enhance resilience in affected countries in Africa and the Middle East.

Felipe Jaramillo, World Bank country director for Somalia, said the locust invasion risks are aggravating the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Somalia and leading to reduced access to food, loss of income, resource-based conflict and limited migration options.

Afrah Alawi Al-Ahmadi, World Bank Task Team Leader for Somalia, said the project will support around 100,000 households with cash assistance to access food and basic needs and therefore, enable them to protect their human and physical assets during the crisis.

According to the lender, the locust invasion has gravely impacted the livelihoods of nearly 2.6 million living in 43 districts of Somalia.

The agriculture sector remains the backbone of the economy and accounts for about 75 percent of GDP in Somalia.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, desert locust upsurge continues to remain alarming, particularly in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, where it poses an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods.