Millions of people are facing food insecurity due to El Niño-fueled drought and floods in Southern Africa, WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain warned during a visit to Zambia, at the epicenter of the crisis. Severe drought has wiped out harvests in a region where 70 percent of the population relies on agriculture to survive.

“What I’ve seen in Zambia is not just alarming, it is heartbreaking,” said Director McCain, after speaking with farming families in rural Zambia. “I met farmers who usually grow enough to feed their families and communities. This year they harvested nothing. Now imagine a similar scenario for millions of people throughout Southern Africa, and we have a humanitarian catastrophe.”

Although this El Niño cycle is coming to an end, the impact of extreme drought will have tragic consequences for months to come. Not only have temperatures soared, but the region was also hit with its driest February in decades, resulting in a 20 percent reduction in rainfall at a crucial time for crop growth. The three hardest hit countries—Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi—have declared states of drought disaster. They face widespread crop losses, with between 40 and 80 percent of their maize harvests decimated. 

At an Extraordinary Summit of the heads of state and government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) on the current crisis, leaders announced that 61 million people were impacted by El Niño. They launched a humanitarian appeal for US$5.5 billion to supplement the affected member states’ own resources, calling for support to meet the urgent humanitarian needs.

As food runs out, so does the time to respond. “I’m asking the international community to join us and step up now,” added McCain. “We can’t ask millions to wait for the next harvest season – a year from now – to put food on their tables. These families need our support today while we help to build a more resilient future.”

The drought and floods struck at a time when food insecurity and malnutrition were already at alarming levels and humanitarian activities were stalled due to funding shortages. WFP teams have started to respond but US$409 million are needed for six months to assist 4.8 million people in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

These climate extremes serve as a reminder of the urgent need to increase investment in activities that build resilience, especially in Southern Africa where climate shocks severely impact lives and livelihoods.

To help communities prepare for climate disasters before they hit, WFP has been working with governments and partners to roll out solutions. In August 2023, WFP unlocked over US$14 million of anticipatory finance to assist more than 1.2 million people projected to be affected by El Niño. WFP supported communities in Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe with early warning messages on weather risks, anticipatory cash transfers, drought-resistant seeds, agricultural training, and improved water sources

WFP is also working with governments to protect communities in the immediate aftermath of climate shocks. In a matter of weeks, WFP will begin disbursing nearly US$10 million in insurance payouts over the coming six months to almost 280,000 affected people, complimenting ongoing national drought responses. This will allow vulnerable households to cope with the impacts of the drought and steadily restore their livelihoods.

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

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) convened a crucial hybrid meeting on Monday, 20 May 2024, bringing together key stakeholders to launch the Regional Nutrition Agenda officially. The event highlighted the integration of nutrition into agricultural policies and strategies, marking a significant step forward in addressing nutritional challenges in the region.

The Director of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alain SY TRAORE, in his opening remarks, highlighted the prevalence of stunting, wasting, and overweight among children under five in West Africa is estimated at 30.9% (20.2 million), 6.9% (4.5 million), and 2.7% (1.8 million), respectively (FAO et al., 2022) justifying that nutrition remains a concern in the region. He also explained how the Sahel and West Africa region has faced significant food and nutrition insecurity, with around 42.5 million people potentially classified as being in a “crisis or worse phase” during the lean season from June to August 2023. Director Alain mentioned that in the bid to mitigate the nutrition challenge, the agriculture sector decided to conduct a deep dive to determine how well nutrition is integrated into agriculture sector policies, strategies, and plans because such would contribute to creating an enabling environment in the Sahel countries (ECOWAS Member States, Chad, and Mauritania).

A goodwill message, Mr. Issouifou BAOUA, representing the EU-funded PAGR SANAD project, underscored the collaborative efforts and support for the initiative from various projects and organizations. To improve the situation, the regional nutrition agenda, endorsed by technicians, member states, and stakeholders with the United Nations FAO, UNICEF, and WFP, aims to enhance the agricultural sector’s contribution to improving West Africa’s nutritional situation by integrating nutrition into the agricultural policies, strategies, and plans, based on diagnostic studies conducted in ECOWAS countries, Mauritania, and Chad, aligning with international commitments.

Speaking at the event, Mrs. Fatmata Lucia SEIWOH, ECOWAP/CAADP Monitoring&Evaluation Programme Officer, Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development, outlined the vision, guiding principles, objectives, strategic priorities, expected results, and the regional action/key activities where she sighted the eradication of malnutrition in all its forms by 2030 striving towards “Zero Hunger.” The detailed regional nutrition agenda and Action Plan for integrating nutrition into agricultural policies and strategies was also presented. This comprehensive plan includes actionable steps and measurable targets to improve nutritional outcomes.

The discussion provided a platform for participants to engage, share insights, and contribute to refining the action plan. The discussion highlighted the importance of multi-sectoral collaboration and community involvement in achieving the agenda’s goals. The Director recognized the efforts of technical and financial partners, especially CILSS, European Union, FAO, WFP, UNICEF, UEMOA, and ROPPA, for their confidence in the Directorate and reaffirming ECOWAS’ dedication to helping improve nutrition in the region.

Following frantic discussions and exchanges, Director Alain Sy TRAORE officially launched the regional agenda and action plan on behalf of President Omar Touray, Commissioner of Economic Affairs and Agriculture Massandje Toure-Litse.  These will be used as a basis for discussions as the sector approaches 2025, when the sector policy will be reviewed.

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

Algeria’s economic growth remained dynamic in 2023, with GDP recording a 4.1 percent increase, driven by robust performance in the nonhydrocarbon and hydrocarbon sectors, according to the World Bank’s Spring 2024 Algeria Economic Update. Economic activity was stimulated by dynamic private consumption and strong investment growth, fueling a marked increase in imports. Hydrocarbon production was supported by record-high natural gas production, compensating for the decline in crude oil production amidst voluntary OPEC quota reductions.

Despite the decline in global hydrocarbon prices and an increase in imports causing Algeria’s’ trade balance to shrink, the country’s foreign reserves continued to increase, reaching a comfortable 16.1 months of imports by the end of 2023. Consumer price inflation moderated to 5.0 percent in the first quarter of 2024, down from 9.3 percent in 2023, aided by a strong dinar and a decrease in fresh food and import prices. 

The report underscores the strategic importance of data in informing policy decisions and the potential to leverage alternative data sources to shed light on real-time economic developments in Algeria. These sources, such as satellite data on nighttime lights, crop development, as well as data on shipping vessels arriving at and departing from Algerian ports, can provide a more detailed view of the economy. The report looks at how these data sources represent a useful complement to conventional economic and social statistics while stressing that improving the availability, granularity, and timeliness of official economic data, most notably relating to activity, investment, and the labor market, remains of utmost importance.

“In 2022 and 2023, Algerian authorities accelerated digitalization efforts and elevated the strengthening of data systems as a policy priority,” said Kamel Braham, the World Bank’s Resident Representative to Algeria. “In addition to supporting evidence-based policymaking, robust economic data reduces economic uncertainty and supports investment, growth, and diversification.”

Looking ahead, the report projects a temporary growth slowdown in 2024, followed by a robust recovery in 2025. Despite the positive outlook it finds that continued public spending and import growth amidst moderating hydrocarbon exports would put renewed pressure on the fiscal and trade balances. Additionally, significant uncertainties with respect to global commodity prices and climate conditions remain. 

Cyril Desponts, the World Bank’s Senior Economist for Algeria, underlined the usefulness of alternative data sources, “Unconventional data bring precision to our analysis because they are highly disaggregated across time and space, and available with only a short delay. In early 2024, data suggest that activity remained dynamic across the country, but to a lesser extent in oil-producing regions, affected by quota reductions and that Eastern regions saw a recovery in rainfall and crop development, feeding into our macroeconomic projections.”

The report also highlights the significance of recent reforms and the importance of supporting diversification by accelerating private sector investment in non-hydrocarbon sectors. The 2022 Investment Law, the 2023 Banking and Monetary Law, formal adhesion to the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement, the 2023 Land Law, and initiation of state-owned bank reforms are all aimed at boosting private investment to foster diversification. Strengthening these efforts is even more important now that public investment, previously the engine of Algeria’s growth, is increasingly constrained by expanding current expenditures.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The World Bank Group.

World Rugby has proudly announced the selection of Nigerian Princess Alban Ugonwaezeh-Agugo for the Capgemini Women in Rugby Leadership Programme for 2024 and 2025. This prestigious program aims to elevate the visibility of female leaders within the rugby community and accelerate the development of the women’s and girls’ game, in the lead-up to the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025.

Princess Ugonwaezeh-Agugo, 37, hails from Adazi-Nnukwu, Anaocha LGA in Anambra State, Nigeria. She is one of only four individuals selected from Africa and one of 25 chosen globally by World Rugby to participate in this groundbreaking initiative. Joining her from Africa are Ingrid Sibusisiwe Mangcu from South Africa, Nour Khaled from Tunisia, and Menna Sedky from Egypt.

Participants in the Capgemini Women in Rugby Leadership Programme will gain access to top-tier learning opportunities through the Capgemini University. Each scholar will be paired with a mentor appointed by World Rugby as well as a Capgemini coach. Additionally, they are eligible to apply for an extra discretionary grant of up to £5,000 to support their development and learning.

An excited Princess Ugonwaezeh-Agugo shared her enthusiasm with NRFF media, stating, “This is a significant achievement for Nigeria, and it will help inspire other women to reach for the sky. I am really excited about this program because it means so much to me and for the growth of the game in my locality and Nigeria at large. I hope I can bring whatever I learn back home and implement it to foster the development of rugby in the country.”

Earlier this year, Princess Ugonwaezeh-Agugo was awarded a similar scholarship by Rugby Africa to study Sports Management at the Lunex University of Luxembourg. This accolade marked the first time a Nigerian received such recognition from Rugby Africa, highlighting her pioneering role in advancing the sport within her country.

Under the leadership of Dr. Ademola Are, the Nigeria Rugby Football Federation (NRFF) is opening new opportunities for Nigerians to embrace rugby and encouraging greater female participation in the sport. The federation’s efforts are paving the way for the next generation of female leaders in rugby, ensuring the sport’s growth and development across Nigeria and beyond.

Princess Ugonwaezeh-Agugo’s selection for this international program not only brings honor to Nigeria but also underscores the country’s potential to produce world-class talent and leaders in the sport of rugby. As she prepares to embark on this journey, the entire nation watches with pride and anticipation, eager to see the positive impact she will make on the global stage and back home.

Office of the President of
Nigeria Rugby Football Federation

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Nigeria Rugby Football Federation (NRFF).