Japan provides $2.5 million emergency aid to combat drought in Zambia, Namibia

The Japanese government has released an Emergency Grant Aid (EGA) totaling US$2.5 million in response to the severe drought affecting Zambia and Namibia.

The grant is part of Japan’s humanitarian assistance to both countries, which are facing significant food insecurity due to the worst drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon.

This information was shared in a statement issued on Saturday in Lusaka by Faith Chilube, the First Secretary for Press and Public Relations at the Zambian Embassy in Tokyo, Japan.

Chilube explained that the Emergency Aid would facilitate the provision of emergency food relief through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

“The Government of Japan will continue working to strengthen food security in Southern Africa by closely cooperating with the Governments of Zambia and Namibia, which have been severely affected by the drought,” she said.

Under the WFP framework, which included the implementing agency, areas of assistance, and disbursed contributions, Zambia is set to receive US$2 million, while Namibia will receive US$500,000 for food aid.

Chilube highlighted that Southern Africa received only 20 percent of its regular annual precipitation during the rainy season at the end of last year through early 2024, leading to a significant decline in cereal harvests.

The region is grappling with severe food insecurity, exacerbated not only by the drought but also by soaring global food prices driven by the current international situation.

Countries severely affected by the drought include Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Botswana.

Zambia’s Ambassador to Japan, Dr Tobias Mulimbika, commended the Japanese government for its prompt response to Zambia’s drought situation.

“The humanitarian assistance follows the Zambian government’s declaration that the drought caused by El Niño is a national disaster, threatening the country’s food security as over one million people in 84 out of 117 districts have been severely affected,” Mulimbika said.

He noted that the grant aid was timely, as Zambia was experiencing its driest agricultural season in more than forty years, resulting in significant crop losses, increased livestock deaths and worsening poverty.

Mulimbika also expressed gratitude to the WFP Parliamentary League of Japan for advocating for Japanese government assistance to Southern African countries severely affected by El Niño, including Zambia.

On May 30, 2024, Mulimbika and other Southern African Development Community (SADC) Ambassadors accredited to Japan attended a briefing session on the El Niño emergencies in Southern Africa during the 26th Session of the General Assembly of the WFP Parliamentary League of Japan in Tokyo, where he requested Japanese government assistance for the region.

Members of the WFP Parliamentary League of Japan expressed their commitment to support the affected countries and provide Space Satellite weather technology systems to mitigate the effects of climate change in the region.

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