WFP commits $225 million towards SDGs realisation
The World Food Programme (WFP) has since 2019 injected $225.5 million (about K179 billion) in Malawi to help attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
These funds fall under WFP’s Country Strategic Plan being implemented from 2019 to 2023.
Among other things under this plan, the WFP has assisted 11,000 refugee households with food and cash as well as providing cash assistance to 12,000 households in seven districts in response to the economic impacts of Covid.
WFP focuses on SDG 2 and SDG 17, aimed at eradicating hunger and forming partnerships for goals, respectively.
A WFP report issued yesterday shows that total requirement cost for the country to continue making progress is $629.7 million, with a planned six-month net funding of $3 million until October.
This follows an initial report released in 2019 outlining the WFP’s plans to contribute towards the country’s economic and social development.
“WFP believes that, between now and 2030, this approach can be scaled up further with the government and partners to establish a path out of poverty, accordingly. This Country Strategic Plan is a five-year strategy to help Malawi better coordinate national efforts to tackle hunger, improve nutrition and reduce vulnerability to food insecurity and malnutrition,” the statement reads.
Commentators have been lamenting slow progress the country has been registering towards attaining the goals.
In an interview Tuesday, African Institute for Corporate Citizenship Chief Executive Officer Felix Lombe attributed the slow progress to lack of resources, among other factors.
According to Lombe, failure of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) draws similar parallels to these SDGs.
“There has always been a feeling that these goals are the domain of the UN family. The government does not feel ownership of these objectives and, because of that, it is slow,” Lombe said.
He added that the UN system needed to mobilise more resources and improve its efficiency so that the country is able to make discernible progress in these areas.
