Finland aims to support the shipment for Ukrainian grains to Horn of Africa

Finland plans to support the shipment of World Food Programme (WFP) from Ukraine to Somalia with an aim to further increase humanitarian assistance. As the Russian invasion of Ukraine has deteriorated global food security in 2022, the countries of the Horn of Africa have been one of the worst affected, due to their dependence on grain imports from Russia and Ukraine. This situation has got particularly worse in the Horn of Africa, as it is suffering from a record-breaking drought, after a fifth consecutive failed rainy season. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have further hindered access to food.

Finland is allocating EUR 15.7 million in humanitarian assistance to the region. From that sum, nearly EUR 7 million will be channeled through the WFP to help facilitate the transport of Ukrainian grain to Somalia.

“It is critically important that the shipping of grain from Ukraine to Horn of Africa can continue. We support the World Food Programme in this,” said Ville Skinnari, Finland´s Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade.

The country also aims to increase its humanitarian assistance to the Horn of Africa, where more than 20 million people need urgent food aid, according to the statement issued by the government. The Horn of Africa is a significant migratory crossroads, with enormous numbers of people moving back and forth. With food aid levels dropping, over 3.5 million refugees of the region will be affected.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) estimate that up to 222 million people could suffer from acute food insecurity in 53 countries.