EU donates funds to combat climate-hunger in the Horn of Africa

The contribution by the EU has been welcomed by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and other stakeholders.

The funds are meant to facilitate the launch of a 2024-2026 joint project by the implementing partners, who have also pledged $2.8 million joint contribution, to protect vulnerable communities.

The project aims to strengthen early warning systems for anticipatory action through a regional and harmonised approach, as outlined in the IGAD Regional Roadmap for Anticipatory Action. It seeks to enhance cross-border coordination and promote risk-informed decision-making, ensuring timely and life-saving actions are implemented.

“With the March-May forecast indicating below-normal rainfall for the upcoming season, urgent preparedness is essential. Furthermore, this funding will directly support the implementation of the IGAD Regional Roadmap for Anticipatory Action, assisting member states in anticipating and executing early actions, enhancing coordination, and building resilience against climate shocks," said Dr Workneh Gebeyehu, IGAD’s Executive Secretary.

The regional roadmap emphasises the need to scale up anticipatory action systems to protect vulnerable populations from climate-related disasters, focusing on drought and food security. Key strategies include improving risk data sharing to provide detailed, gender-disaggregated data for developing risk profiles and Impact-based Forecasting (IbF). For effective IbF, datasets on socio-economic exposure and vulnerabilities are critical. These datasets, combined with tailored hazard forecasts, establish impact thresholds that enable timely decision-making for anticipatory actions.

Food insecurity has remained a persistent challenge in the IGAD region, with more than 5 million children suffering from acute malnutrition. By the end of 2024, a total of 67.4 million people were projected to be food insecure in Africa, according to the FAO. Among them, 38 million reside in IGAD member states, including Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda.

Over 24.6 million people, half the population of Sudan, are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity worsened by climate change and regional conflict. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Famine Review Committee (FRC) has identified famine in five areas and is forecasting in an additional five regions between December 2024 and May 2025. Eight million people are facing emergency levels of food insecurity, and more than 600,000 are experiencing catastrophic conditions, described by the IPC report as famine.

In Somalia, at least 4.4 million people are estimated to be facing high levels of acute food insecurity, with 1.6 million children likely to suffer from acute malnutrition through July 2025. Humanitarian partners in Somalia have launched a $1.42 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) to assist approximately 4.6 million people this year. The 2025 HNRP prioritises ten districts for an integrated first-line response due to the severity of their intersectoral needs.

The EU and other humanitarian donations are a crucial step toward addressing hunger in the Horn of Africa but long-term solutions are necessary. These sustainable solutions should transition from traditional aid to business-oriented approaches, such as investing in climate-resilient agriculture, local food production systems, and cross-border trade.

While strengthening early warning systems and risk-informed decision-making is vital, investing in technology and infrastructure to build local economies will provide lasting resilience. By prioritising partnerships with the private sector, African countries can create jobs, enhance food security, and decrease reliance on external aid.