The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is a merger of currently seven states in the Horn of Africa, namely Djibouti, Eritrea (membership currently suspended), Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda. In response to the major drought in the region in 2011, the Horn of Africa states took the initiative to mandate the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to coordinate regional initiatives to strengthen resilience to drought. The regional organisation based in Djibouti also supports its member states in stabilising peace processes.
Extreme droughts are common in the Horn of Africa and can result in famine. The region is regarded worldwide as the area with the greatest food insecurity and ecological vulnerability. People living in nomadic pastoralism are particularly affected by drought. Their traditional way of life has been very well adapted to the natural environment for centuries, but it is under increasing pressure from economic developments and the consequences of climate change. Droughts and floods mean that more and more people are being displaced from their country. The German Federal Government has committed comprehensive financial support to IGAD for the “Regional Fund to Strengthen Drought Resilience in the Horn of Africa” and the “Regional Migration Fund”.
On behalf of the German Federal Government, KfW is collaborating with IGAD as a strategic coordinating body in the following areas:
The current drought in the Horn of Africa is not the first. After the 2011 drought, countries in the region mandated IGAD to coordinate regional efforts to increase resilience in light of climate development. As a result, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has committed funds to strengthening drought resilience in the countries in the Horn of Africa. In the meantime, this support has been transferred to KfW contracts with the IGAD member states of Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia and Djibouti. In cooperation with the people on the ground, water retention basins, earth walls to protect against erosion, marketplaces and rural roads are being built. The aim is to improve living conditions for the frequently nomadic population in selected border regions in the IGAD region.
Through the Regional Migration Fund, KfW finances infrastructure in refugee camps and in communities that take in refugees. The funds are used to build marketplaces, training centres, energy and water supply facilities and to rehabilitate roads. The fund adopts a cross-border approach and focuses on selected IGAD regions.
KfW promotes cross-border programmes via IGAD in a region particularly affected by drought and the resulting migration.
