The Government of Chad – with support from WFP, the World Bank and other partners – has launched its national emergency response plan to meet the immediate food and nutrition needs of one million of the most vulnerable people across eight provinces during the June-August lean season – when food is scarce and hunger peaks in between harvests.

Supported by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the World Bank, the European Commission, Japan, and the United States of America, this response plan involves the distribution of food, seeds, and cash transfers to families most exposed to hunger in the provinces of Ennedi East, Wadi Fira, Ouaddaï, Sila, Logone Oriental, Lac, Kanem, and Barh El Gazel. This intervention will be complemented by the provision of nutritional supplements for children under two, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers.

“Our country is facing unprecedented food insecurity, exacerbated by multiple crises including a massive influx of refugees and insufficient agricultural production due to the effects of climate change,” said Dr. Abdelmadjid Abderahim Mahamat, Minister of Public Health.

“The large-scale response the government is launching today with funding from the World Bank, the European Commission, the people of Japan, and USAID, will enable WFP to distribute vital assistance to our citizens in urgent need”.

Chad is experiencing its fifth consecutive year of severe food insecurity with 3.4 million people projected to be unable to meet their basic food and nutrition needs during the lean season, according to the March 2024 Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis. This represents a 240 percent increase on the same period in 2020 when food stocks are typically depleted and hunger peaks before the next harvest. Malnutrition has also reached alarming levels, with approximately 1.4 million cases of acute malnutrition in children under five reported in the country.

The food security and nutrition situation is worsened by structural and overlapping factors, including the negative impact of conflicts, rising food prices, and climate shocks such as floods and droughts.

“Our teams are on the ground and doing everything possible to meet the immediate needs of those hardest hit by this crisis. It requires a major emergency response by all partners,” said Koffi Akakpo, WFP’s interim Representative for Chad.

“To mitigate the future impact of the increasingly severe and recurrent crises, WFP calls for substantial investments in sustainable solutions that strengthen long-term food security, improve agricultural productivity, support resilience to climate shocks, and reinforce the purchasing power of the most vulnerable populations,” Akakpo insisted.

“By mobilizing more than $100 million to help the government cope with the food emergency, the World Bank is working to improve the living conditions of the Chadian people, who are facing several shocks at once. This includes the US$52 million channeled through the WFP ” says Rasit Pertev, the World Bank’s Resident Representative in Chad.

In Chad, WFP has been working on innovative and transformative long-term solutions against hunger and is committed to supporting national programmes that strengthen community resilience to crises through social protection and investments in inclusive and resilient food systems.

Since 2018, WFP’s integrated resilience programme has reached 787,000 people in 282 villages across 14 regions and has contributed to restoring degraded land for food and fodder production, promoting children’s education through school canteens and nutritional assistance, improving food access, and increasing incomes. Since the start of this programme, WFP has recovered and developed land across the country equivalent to 46,400 football fields.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Food Programme (WFP).

13th June 2024, marked a significant milestone in Lesotho’s healthcare history as Maseru District Hospital and Eye Clinic, a specialized hospital equipped with advanced medical equipment and resources designed to provide top-notch healthcare services to the Basotho people, opened its doors to the public. This was borne as a result of a collaborative effort between the Government of Lesotho, and the Chinese Government with technical support from the World Health Organisation(WHO).

Speaking during the inauguration the Prime Minister, Rt Hon. Sam Matekane said “This state-of-the-art facility is a testament to our shared vision and commitment to enhancing health services in Lesotho”.

“I am convinced that this facility is equipped to provide quality outpatient and inpatient health services to Basotho thereby significantly reducing the need for Basotho to receive medical treatment outside the country. This hospital among others will provide services at the level of a regional hospital,” he says.

The Minister of Health, Hon. Selibe Mochoboroane also commits to improved healthcare at the new hospital saying, “I want to promise Basotho nation that they are going to receive the best healthcare treatment in this milestone. The equipment installed in this hospital compels us to provide the best services possible”.

In her remarks, the WHO Country Representative, Dr. Mary Stephen highlighted the importance of the Maseru District Hospital and its impact on the region’s healthcare system.

“This development is set to remove the need for our citizens to seek medical treatment abroad, ensuring that high-quality care is available right here at home. In addition to its clinical services, the hospital boasts of training facilities and dormitories for trainee doctors and nurses, fostering the next generation of healthcare professionals in Lesotho”, says Dr. Stephen

She expressed WHO’s commitment to supporting the Government of Lesotho to provide quality healthcare services to the people. “We are keen to collaborate and continue providing technical support to the Ministry of Health in Lesotho as it endeavors to improve healthcare services for all.”

In a related development, efforts have been made to improve service delivery in the mountainous terrains of Mokhotlong and Thaba Tseka districts through the integrated health service delivery model, supported by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO).

 Mokhotlong, with its 102,184 residents, and Thaba Tseka, home to 137,347 people, are characterized by high mountains and deep valleys, making travel arduous. The health facilities were scattered and poorly coordinated, leading to gaps in care and services. Communities faced low immunization rates, frequent infections, and high dropout rates for treatments like tuberculosis (TB).

The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with WHO, envisioned a health system where services were seamlessly integrated and accessible to all, regardless of geographical barriers. The goal was to ensure that every individual received continuous care, from health promotion and disease prevention to diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up.

WHO and other partners conducted training for frontline workers. 42 healthcare professionals from Mokhotlong and Thaba Tseka districts learned about integrated service delivery, focusing on coordinating care across different levels and services. This training equipped the health workers with the skills and knowledge needed to provide comprehensive, people-centered care.

 “With this integrated health service delivery, there has been improved access to healthcare in this community. In effect, the District Health Management Team got transport from Lesotho Highlands Development Authority to support Molikaliko Health Centre to provide integrated services at Taung village in celebration of Nurses Week. Taung is an hour’s drive from Molikaliko Health Centre”, says Lineo Mati, a nurse in the Mokhotlong district.

The Ministry of Health and WHO’s efforts have not only improved health outcomes but also transformed communities, making essential medical services more accessible and equitable.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) – Lesotho.

Trade stakeholders from both regional and national levels have gathered in Abuja, Nigeria, for a three-day meeting from July 9th to 11th, 2024, to review and amend the Draft ECOWAS Common Trade Policy (CTP). This initiative follows recommendations from Trade Expert’s meetings and the Joint Meetings of the ECOWAS Ministers of Trade and Industry held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, last year. The technical working group will also draft the Strategic Action Plan for the Draft ECOWAS Common Trade Policy, ensuring both documents are ready for presentation to the ECOWAS Ministers of Trade for validation.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Kolawole Sofola, the ECOWAS Director of Trade, speaking on behalf of Madame Massandjé TOURE-LITSE, Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, emphasized the importance of ownership among participants. He called for the enhancement of the quality of the final document, ensuring that the amendments reflect national interests that promote regional integration to improve the social and economic standards of living for citizens.

Director Sofola highlighted the significant milestones achieved with the drafting of the policy, which aims to make trade a vital component of the economic lives of the people and the regional integration agenda. He noted that despite various interventions, policies, strategies, and initiatives aimed at increasing intra-regional trade, diversification, and market access, such as the ETLS, CET, and WACIP, intra-regional trade remains around 7 percent, with regional currencies depreciating against major currencies and high inflation rates.

“We are hopeful, however, that the adoption of a number of trade policy instruments such as the E-Commerce and the AfCFTA Implementation Strategies and action plans by our statutory bodies in 2023, will, together with the CTP, help spur more economic growth and integration for our region,” Mr. Sofola said. “Furthermore, when adopted, the CTP will provide a common framework for our trade relations even with third parties, and attract, sustain, and leverage investment both foreign and domestic.”

He praised West Africa as an emerging player in continental and global trade with all 15 Member States have signed the AfCFTA, and 14, except Benin, have ratified it. We are renegotiating our tariff at the multilateral level, which is expected to avail us yet another opportunity to harness our region’s industrialization and value addition potentials,” he stated.

Hajiya Zulaikha Abdullahi, Deputy Director Intra-Africa Branch/Trade Information and Complaints (TIC) Division represented Mr. S.O.Gana Tuayeringha, Head, Trade department from the Nigerian Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, in her opening remarks, reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to the ECOWAS integration agenda, with its Trade Policy of 2023-2027, which aligns closely with the objectives of the ECOWAS CTP. “Nigeria is dedicated to promoting regional economic integration, enhancing market access, and facilitating sustainable development through trade,” she added.

She emphasized the importance of the trade policy, calling it the cornerstone in enhancing intra-regional trade, removing barriers, and fostering a conducive environment for economic growth and development across member states.

The director urged experts to leverage this unique opportunity to consolidate their efforts and ensure that the policy reflects shared aspirations for a prosperous West African region, addresses outstanding issues, streamlines approaches, and lays the groundwork for a policy that reflects the aspirations of diverse populations.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

South Sudan is on alert for a looming human and climate disaster in coming months with the world’s youngest country expected to suffer its worst floods in 60 years that will drive parts of the country to the brink of famine, said Save the Children.

The child rights agency is warning of a devastating large-scale hunger crisis among children in South Sudan, in response to new data released yesterday by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network [FEWS NET] which shows massive floods will contribute to a risk of famine in South Sudan from June 2024 until January 2025. 

Families in the areas expected to be worst impacted have already been battling years of conflict, hunger, rising food prices, previous floods, and, more recently, an recent influx of refugees and returnees from the 15-month conflict  raging in Sudan.

Despite a peace deal in South Sudan in 2018, the country is still facing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, with about 9 million people – about 75% of the population ­– including nearly 5 million children – in need of humanitarian assistance.

Unity State, a low-lying and flood prone region in the central northern part of the country, has been listed as particularly vulnerable to famine. The last formal declaration of famine anywhere in the world was in parts of Unity State in February 2017, where nearly 80,000 people faced famine conditions and mass deaths were only averted by an effective and rapid aid response.

The predicted famine is being driven in part by a major flooding event, which is expected to exceed the floods of 2020 and 2022. Current water levels in Lake Victoria, a source of the Nile, have reached a 128-year high, with the government of South Sudan issuing a warning that water released from the lake will flood vast parts of the country in the latter part of 2024. FEWS-NET estimates that the area impacted by flooding could exceed 65,000 km2 – or the equivalent of the entire land area of Sri Lanka.

Pornpun Jib Rabiltossaporn, Save the Children South Sudan Country Director, said:

“A horror scenario is unfolding in South Sudan. While floods are part of life for families in much of the country, we are seeing a situation where the floods will be so extreme, over such vast patches of land, that entire communities will be marooned from assistance. In some villages, families won’t be able to travel the distance required by boat to search for food, or an income, for months.

“With already extreme levels of hunger and malnutrition in children across South Sudan, and a massive conflict over the border forcing hundreds of thousands of people into crowded refugee camps, in all likelihood we will see children start to die from hunger-related illnesses as the flooding takes hold.  

“Save the Children is urgently finalising its flood anticipatory and response plan, prepping communities and prioritising the most vulnerable high-risk locations. However the alarm isn’t being heard widely enough. There is imminent disaster threatening communities in South Sudan. Unless there is an urgent scaling up of funding for preparation work, the upcoming floods are guaranteed to wreak havoc. We are going to see a large number of homes destroyed, roads and low-lying settlements flooded, and monumental levels of hunger.”

Across the border in Sudan, the fighting which broke out in April last year shows no signs of abating, with reports of massive casualties and extensive damage to critical infrastructure.  More than 700,000 people have crossed into South Sudan from Sudan in a bid to escape the horrific violence that continues in one of the world’s most neglected conflicts, according to the UN. Almost all have crossed through the Joda border crossing into Renk county in South Sudan which is already struggling with its own food crisis.

Besides Unity state, the flooding is projected to affect areas where many people are already vulnerable, including Jonglei, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile and Warrap states. People in most of these locations are already vulnerable due to multiple impacts, including previous flooding, conflict, displacement, food insecurity, and an influx of refugees and returnees conflict in Sudan.

Save the Children has worked in South Sudan since 1991. The child rights organisation provides children with access to education, healthcare and nutritional support, and families with food security and livelihoods assistance. In 2023, the organisation’s programmes reached over 1.9 million people including 1.1 million children and this year Save the Children hopes to reach 1.4 million people in South Sudan. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Save the Children.