KEY POINTS
- The World Food Program closes its Southern Africa bureau despite ongoing drought.
- 26 million people in seven countries struggle with food shortages.
- WFP will transfer key operations to East Africa to manage relief efforts.
As it spearheads a response to the worst drought to hit the region in forty years, the United Nations World Food Program, which gets a large portion of its financing from the United States, is eliminating its Southern Africa bureau.
WFP shuts down Southern Africa bureau as crisis deepens
Executive Director Cindy McCain sent out an email on Friday informing staff members around the world of the decision. Ahead of the May harvest, 26 million people in seven nations in the region are experiencing food shortages. Nearly half of WFP’s $9.7 billion funding comes from the United States.
In the email that Bloomberg was able to view, McCain stated, “We have come to the difficult decision to close WFP’s regional bureau for Southern Africa in Johannesburg.” “Difficult decisions must be made in difficult times.”
Hundreds of thousands of tons of food are purchased and transported by the Southern Africa office from South Africa and other nations. Over 60% of WFP’s food, products, and services are sourced locally, according to the organization’s website. Last year was not the first time the region has experienced droughts brought on by the El Niño weather phenomenon.
A request for response was not answered by the media staff or regional director of WFP.
Due to drought, which has reduced corn harvests by up to 70%, the bureau has been instrumental in obtaining money for nations like Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
Responsibilities shift to East Africa as WFP restructures
According to New Zimbabawe, McCain stated that the East Africa bureau in Nairobi will take up some of the bureau’s duties, such as organizing the response and supervising WFP country offices from South Africa to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
A “transition and integration team” would be established to supervise the changes all year long, she continued, adding that WFP is still dedicated to Southern Africa.
According to a person acquainted with the matter, the 160 workers in the Johannesburg office were first informed that the bureau might combine with the Nairobi office. However, McCain’s deputy, Carl Skau, visited Johannesburg on February 27 and told employees that the office would close. Senior management was allegedly taken aback by this decision. A day later, McCain sent an email confirming the closure.
According to the source, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation has been notified. The department stated that it would reply to Bloomberg’s inquiry later.
