Big Boost: Japan Gives $7.5 Million for Locusts Outbreak

The government of Japan has contributed a $7.5 million package to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), towards fighting the locusts outbreak in East Africa. The whole package will be distributed as follows:

• Kenya: $3.6 million
• Somalia: $3.1 million
• Djibouti: $800,000

The funding for the three countries will be used to counter the food shortage as a result of the locusts invasion. This will be made possible through food distribution, nutrition support, and improving the resilience of small-scale farmers against natural disasters. The desert locust is considered the most dangerous migratory pest in the world. The current upsurge, which started in 2019, is the worst in 25 years in Ethiopia and Somalia, and the worst in 70 years in Kenya.