By Dawan Africa - Reporter
London(Mogadishu24)-The President of the Federal Government of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, highlighted the root causes of food insecurity and stressed the need for joint approaches to tackle these issues during his address at the Global Food Security Summit, which he co-hosted alongside UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The president identified key factors contributing to food insecurity, such as climate shocks, reliance on increasingly expensive food imports, global supply chain disruptions, and weak infrastructure.
“The persistence of food insecurity is due to a variety of factors, including climate shocks, heavy reliance on increasingly expensive food imports, global disruption of the supply chain, and weak infrastructure,” President Mohamud said.
He pointed out Somalia’s achievements in promoting sustainable solutions in various sectors, including the environment, through the production of adaptive climate technologies.
“In Somalia we are ambitious in our goals and we are developing sound-poles solutions across multifaceted areas including climate adaptive technology and infrastructure,” he added.
President Mohamud highlighted Somalia’s natural and unique resources as contributing to its vast potential for economic growth and reducing the threats of climate change, citing data from the African Development Bank.
“According to the African Development Bank, Somalia has the highest resource potential of any African nation for offshore wind power and could generate between 30 to 40,000 Megawatts of wind power. We also have 300 days of sunshine annually, so solar power is another major opportunity in Somalia.”
He underscored the importance of sufficient financing to invest in climate-resilient infrastructure.
“With sufficient financing, we can invest in climate-resilient infrastructure in critical sectors such as renewable energy, water catchment systems, regenerative agricultural practices, and enhancing road networks within agricultural lands,” he added.
“Access to finance is key, and we are also working on making affordable loans accessible to the agricultural sector to encourage further investments in local production.”
The President also addressed the government’s intensified efforts against terrorism, acknowledging the vital role of international partners. He stated that the Somali National Army, with support from international partners, has liberated over 70 locations, and the government is working to provide basic services to the people.
President Mohamud acknowledged the financial contributions of the United Kingdom, the USA, the United Arab Emirates, and other international donors in promoting Somalia’s state-building efforts.
The British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, announced on Monday that the UK government will provide £100 million ($125 million) to support Somalia, prevent future crises, and develop key areas, including water and agriculture, to address the threats of climate change.
The Global Food Security Summit, co-hosted by the UK government, Somalia, and the United Arab Emirates, attracted representatives from more than 20 countries. The summit aimed to address the root causes of food insecurity and foster global cooperation to ensure sustainable and resilient food systems.
