December 11, 2024 (DJIBOUTI, Djibouti): The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) convened a landmark ministerial meeting to secure endorsement of the Regional Food and Nutrition Security Strategy (2025-2034). Held in Djibouti City in Djibouti, this event marked a critical step towards strengthening food systems resilience across the region.
This strategy, which aligns with global and regional frameworks, reflects IGAD’s commitment to addressing the compounded challenges of climate change, economic shocks, and natural disasters threatening food security in the region. The IGAD Food Systems Resilience Programme (FSRP), supported by the World Bank, plays a key role in operationalising this vision through coordinated interventions and knowledge-sharing among member states.
The two-day event commenced with technical deliberations by Member State Food and Nutrition experts, laying the groundwork for the ministerial segment. Representatives presented the final draft of the strategy, followed by discussions and the adoption of a communiqué on the second day.
H.E. Mohamed Abdi Ware, IGAD Deputy Executive Secretary, on behalf of the Executive Secretary, inaugurated the event alongside Djibouti’s Minister of Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Maritime ResourcesH.E. Mohamed Ahmed Awaleh.
In his opening remarks, H.E. Mohamed Abdi Ware highlighted the strategy’s significance, stating: “In today’s interconnected world, conflicts have disrupted grain supplies, affecting food security in the Horn of Africa. Despite these challenges, IGAD has made significant progress through proactive strategies like the Regional Food Security and Nutrition Response Strategy (2020-2022), focusing on crisis prevention, resilience building, and coordinated emergency responses.”
H.E. Mohamed Ahmed Awaleh, noted “This region holds the potential to feed not only the IGAD region but Africa as a whole. With fertile lands across Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, and Sudan, we have the capacity to ensure everyone has access to sufficient and nutritious food.”
The Regional Food and Nutrition Security Strategy (2025-2034) aims to strengthen emergency response and recovery mechanisms, enhance capacity for disaster preparedness and agricultural trade, and promote gender-inclusive approaches while empowering vulnerable populations, particularly women and youth. Building on the successes of the 2020-2022 strategy, this revised framework integrates lessons learned and feedback from stakeholders. A thorough review process, involving consultations and validations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (October 2024), ensured the strategy’s robustness.
The event celebrated strong partnerships with regional organisations, development agencies, and member states. Institutions such as the African Union, World Bank, FAO, UNECA, and AfDB contributed to refining the strategy and aligning it with global sustainability goals.
As the strategy transitions into its implementation phase, IGAD reaffirmed its commitment to fostering a unified approach to food security.
Member states signed the final communiqué, underscoring their collective resolve to mitigate food insecurity and drive regional stability.
