Addressing food insecurity in East Africa

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved a grant of $8.1 million to South Sudan to fund its Emergency Food Production Programme.Allocated through the Transition Support Facility, the grant constitutes additional financing to the ongoing Agricultural Markets, Value Addition and Trade Development Project (AMVAT). AMVAT seeks  to contribute to reduced food insecurity, poverty reduction, economic growth and building of community and household resilience and social cohesion.Exacerbated by climate hazards, the threat of a food crisis has long loomed over South Sudan, which has not been food self-sufficient since 2009. Some 8.9 million people, more than 70%…