IGAD Emphasizes on Harnessing Region’s Abundant Resources to Ensure Food Security

Addis Ababa, July 27, 2025 (ENA) -- The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing the food security agenda of the region, stressing the need to harness its abundant resources.

Experts meeting on Food Security Challenges and Opportunities in the IGAD Region, held in Addis Ababa today at the margin of the Second United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktake  (UNFSS+4).

Food Systems Resilience Program Coordinator at the IGAD, Senait Regassa, said that a meeting would take place tomorrow on the margins of the UN Food Systems summit focusing on food systems transformation.

The purpose of today's experts meeting and tomorrow's IGAD ministerial meeting is to ensure that we recommit to the food security agenda, the coordinator stated.

The region is very much challenged with food insecurity because of a number of shocks, whether related or conflicts, and also global economic shocks, she further emphasized. 

 

“So we are just trying to reaffirm our commitment and also to ensure recommitment of our member states to improving the food security agenda of the region,” she said.

She affirmed that the region is endowed with natural resources that could be harnessed to produce enough food, not only to feed the population in the region, but also to feed other parts of the world.

She added “We need to harness those resources. We need to use them sustainably. We need to be able to be resilient, to adapt to the changing climatic situations.”

The meeting was aimed at exchanging ideas on harnessing opportunities, and the potential to feed ourselves, and be a surplus producing region, she pointed out.

It will also serve as a platform for IGAD Member States and partners to assess the regional food security situation, share best practices, and catalyze collaborative action for lasting food system resilience.

Despite various challenges, the IGAD region holds immense untapped potential for agricultural transformation, innovation, and regional cooperation, it was learned.

Furthermore, opportunities exist in areas such as improved seed systems, resilient crop varieties, climate-smart agriculture, sustainable land and water management, regional early warning systems, and inclusive investment models.