Uganda is one of the countries that has been selected to benefit from the over $4.5b United States food security assistance to Sub-Saharan Africa.

The money is to help African leaders to prevent hunger and combat the global food security crisis while also addressing the increasing rates of malnutrition, which has hit the continent of Africa the hardest.

During the G7 Summit in June, US President Biden and G7 leaders announced that the total amount, $2.76 billion, will come from the United States.

Biden said the U.S. government funding will help protect the world’s most vulnerable populations and mitigate the impacts of growing food insecurity and malnutrition, including from Russia’s war in Ukraine, by building production capacity and more resilient agriculture and food systems around the world, and responding to immediate emergency food needs.

“We have recognized the need for immediate action to prevent far-reaching consequences, and we are responding with support targeting Africa’s own plans for food security and food systems transformation,” he said according to a press statement from the US Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria.

Of this $2.76 billion, $760 million will be for sustainable near-term food assistance to help mitigate further increases in poverty, hunger, and malnutrition in vulnerable countries impacted by high prices of food, fertilizer, and fuel. 

The embassy said they are working with congress to allocate $336.5 million to bilateral programmes for Sub-Saharan African countries, including Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe and regional programs in southern Africa, west Africa, and the Sahel.

Also of this $2.76 billion, USAID is programming $2 billion in emergency food security assistance over the next three months. As of August 8, 2022, the U.S. has provided nearly $1 billion specifically for countries in Africa toward this $2 billion commitment, including Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Uganda.

In addition to the President’s G7 commitment, the U.S. has announced the drawdown of the balance in the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust, an effort in coordination with the U.S. Department of agriculture which will provide an additional $670 million in food assistance to respond to historic levels of acute food insecurity around the world.

Funds announced in July and August 2022 will be used to procure U.S. food commodities to bolster existing emergency food operations in countries facing severe food insecurity. Resources will be delivered to: Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan.

During her visit to Uganda on August 5, the US Representative to the United Nations, Amb. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, revealed that the US had earmarked $20m (over sh77b) as development assistance to Uganda amid the global food security crisis.

However, the diplomat said the $20m funding through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), will be subject to congressional approval.

Amb. Thomas-Greenfield noted that the assistance would help to mitigate the impacts of growing food insecurity, which she said has been exacerbated by Russia’s unprovoked aggression in Ukraine.

“The assistance will be channeled through international and national partners and civil society organisations to enhance local efforts in Uganda, an existing Feed the Future partner country, to directly tmitigate the impacts of growing food insecurity, which have been exacerbated by Russia’s unprovoked aggression in Ukraine,” said the envoy.