WINDHOEK, June 15 — The Namibian government on Friday received 102 tonnes of food parcels from the Qatari government as drought relief aid. The food parcel, including maize, rice, tinned beef, cooking oil and tinned tuna worth 71 million U.S. dollars, was received by officials from Namibia’s Office of the Prime Minister at the Hosea Kutako International Airport, the main international airport of Namibia.
Receiving the donation, Secretary to Cabinet George Simataa commended Qatar for swift humanitarian support and heeding the country’s appeal for drought relief assistance.
“As it is reported, the Southern Africa region is experiencing distressing impacts of the El Nino phenomena, exacerbated by climate change which makes Namibia highly vulnerable,” he said, adding that the crop harvesting season which just came to an end confirms the sharp decline in crop yields.
According to Simataa, the Namibian government has allocated an amount of 44 million dollars toward the drought relief program, noting that there is a funding gap of 27 million dollars which the government appealed to development partners and the international community for support.
“We are grateful that this assistance is a direct response to the needs of our communities, during this drought period. It will be channeled for distribution to the identified registered affected food insecure households, through our distribution network,” he said.
Simataa also appealed to the international community and development partners for support.
In May, Namibia declared a state of emergency in response to severe drought conditions.
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