JOWHAR, Somalia [SMN] – The President of the Hirshabelle state, Ali Gudlawe, today received at his office in Jowhar city a delegation led by the Deputy Head of the World Food Agency, WFP in Somalia, Laura Turner.
The President and the visiting WFP team have discussed the problems caused by the floods caused by the Shabelle River in the Hirshabelle state, including Beledweyne City.
In riverine communities along the Shabelle and Juba rivers, flooding can cause widespread damage to property and hamper critical services such as education, health care and the road network.
They agreed to support farmers to improve agricultural production, help displaced people, deal with climate change, and WFP’s role in the development of the liberated areas.
Gudlawe thanked WFP for its support to the people of Hirshabelle, especially in responding to emergency situations, stressing the strengthening and continuation of investment, development, and agricultural production.
Although famine was averted in 2022 through a concerted scale-up of the humanitarian response, the humanitarian situation remains extremely alarming, with approximately 8.25 million people (50 per cent of Somalia’s population) in need of humanitarian and protection assistance and over 3.2 million people displaced.
