Ekeomah Atuonwu
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced an additional $215 million in emergency food assistance for Nigeria, Algeria, Cameroon, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Kenya, among other countries.
He stated that the US has pledged more than $2.3 billion in food assistance since February to help the countries affected by the Ukrainian war.
According to a statement issued by the US Department of State on Wednesday, Blinken made the remarks prior to a meeting with the foreign ministers of Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritania, South Africa, Zambia, and Senegal at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 caused a global food and fertilizer shortage due to the two countries’ inability to export wheat, corn, cooking oil, and fertilizers.
Blinken also stated that his country is working to alleviate the global fertilizer shortage by increasing domestic production, adding that President Joe Biden committed an additional $250 million just a week ago, bringing the total investment in American fertilizer production this year to $500 million.
The Secretary of State also stated that the US is focusing on long-term agricultural resilience while commending the African Development Bank on its $1 billion plan to help 40 million African farmers use climate-resilient technologies and increase crop yields.
