The funding from Japan will enable WFP to provide food commodity vouchers, redeemable at selected retailers, to 27,000 people adversely affected by drought, of which 16,000 reside in the Kunene Region and 11,000 in the Ohangwena Region.

“We are grateful for the timely contribution from the Government of Japan which enhances our ability to meet the nutritional needs of vulnerable people including pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children,” said Tiwonge Machiwenyika, WFP Country Director and Officer in Charge in Namibia. “Through the provision of vouchers, which compliments the Government of Namibia’s emergency drought response, WFP and partners are strategically improving food and nutrition security, while boosting the local economy.”

Namibia is currently experiencing the worst drought in a century, with 1.4 million people—representing 48 percent of the population—in urgent need of food assistance. The country also faces alarming malnutrition rates, with 17 percent of children under five years stunted and 48 percent in the same age category anaemic.

“The Government of Japan is a long-standing partner to WFP’s operations in Namibia contributing more than US$ 1.5 million (over N$ 29 million) since 2021 in order to provide food assistance and build the resilience of communities affected by drought”, said H.E. Ambassador Hisao Nishimaki, Ambassador of Japan to Namibia.