World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim, has said that a package of $1.6bn is being arranged for Nigeria and four other countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Yemen to tackle the devastating levels of food insecurity.
“We are working toward a financial package of more than $1.6 billion to build social protection systems, strengthen community resilience, and maintain service delivery to the most vulnerable”, he said in a statement issued and made available to Economic Confidential in Abuja.
According to him, “this includes existing operations of over $870 million that will help communities threatened by famine. I am also working with our Board of Directors to secure the approval of new operations amounting to $770 million, funded substantially through IDA’s Crisis Response Window”.
He said “Famine is a stain on our collective conscience. Millions of lives are at risk and more will die if we do not act quickly and decisively”.
“We at the World Bank Group stand in solidarity with the people now threatened by famine. We are mobilizing an immediate response for Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen.”
He noted that the World Bank’s first priority is to work with partners to make sure that families have access to food and water, adding that the World Bank Group will help respond to the immediate needs of the current famine, “but we must recognize that famine will have lasting impacts on people’s health, ability to learn, and earn a living. So we will also continue to work with communities to reclaim their livelihoods and build resilience to future shocks.”
We are coordinating closely with the UN and other partners in all areas of our response. We know that resolution to this acute crisis will not be possible without all humanitarian and development actors working together. We call on the international community to respond robustly and quickly to the UN global appeal for resources for the famine.
To prevent crises in the future, we must invest in addressing the root causes and drivers of fragility today and help countries build institutional and societal resilience.”