The administration of United States President Donald Trump has announced a commitment of $93m to fight malnutrition in 13 African countries.
The funding under the umbrella of the U.S. emergency food assistance program will benefit Haiti, Mali, Niger, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Nigeria, Madagascar, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Kenya, and Chad.
Tommy Pigott, Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the Department of State, made this announcement during a press briefing in Washington.
The funding is said to be part of Trump’s humanitarian commitment to Africa.
The U.S. State Department also said the commitment of $93m to fight malnutrition is expected to support millions of vulnerable households suffering from worsening hunger conditions by providing a food assistance program.
According to Pigott, the package includes 1,209 metric tons of existing stock and funds for the production of an additional 11,285 metric tons of therapeutic food.
The funding will support lifesaving nutritional aid, including the production of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) for malnourished children.
“The United States is providing an additional $93 million to treat nearly one million children suffering from malnutrition with lifesaving, ready-to-use therapeutic food—RUTF—produced by American manufacturers,” the statement said.
This intervention comes following the formal shutdown of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), once the world’s largest aid agency under the Trump administration’s cost-cutting reforms.
