His Excellency Mr. Sami J. Abdullah, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Ethiopia (in white) with the FAO team. They discussed potential areas of collaboration.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 22 November 2019 - His Excellency Mr. Sami J. Abdullah, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Ethiopia and a team from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Country Office and the Subregional Office for Eastern Africa discussed potential areas of collaboration in the fight against hunger and malnutrition.

The meeting, held on 21 November 2019 at FAO offices underscored the importance of the livestock sector in Eastern Africa, saying it has the potential to improve food security and the livelihood of the population as well as spur economic development of the region. The meeting further observed that the sector supplies very substantial numbers of livestock to domestic, regional, and international markets and makes crucial but often undervalued contributions to the national and regional economies. The meeting participants also noted that the Eastern Africa region has immense livestock resources with Ethiopia and Sudan having the largest livestock herd in Africa.

They also discussed the current threat of the Desert Locust invasion in Ethiopia and the likelihood of spreading to other countries. Despite the ongoing control efforts, the meeting highlighted the need for more support to the government of Ethiopia to avert a crisis.

To further strengthen the collaboration in the areas of shared priorities, the meeting agreed to exchange more information on the resource needs in the livestock sector and the Desert Locust control in Ethiopia.

Contact: 

Rachel Nandelenga, Communication Expert 

FAO Representation in Ethiopia  

+251-900806675 

[email protected]