Despite severe resource constraints and operational difficulties, including active clashes in some pocket areas, the Ethiopian government and humanitarian donors are stepping up life-saving efforts in the most affected areas, according to the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator.

The Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator issued a joint statement on current humanitarian situation in Ethiopia today.

The statement noted over three rounds of food distributions at least once between July and December 2023; between May and November, the Ethiopian government reached at least 7.3 million people.

Close to 4 million people in drought-affected regions, including Afar, Amhara, Tigray, Oromia, Southern, and Southwest, require urgent food assistance, according to the Ethiopia Disaster Risk Management Commission and the Food Cluster.

Since mid-December, with the resumption of WFP and CRS/JEOP food assistan
ce, partners have provided food aid to approximately 6.5 million people in the Amhara, Tigray, Somali, and Afar regions, it said.

It added that redoubling such efforts with the highest sense of urgency is necessary to address the current challenging humanitarian situation.

All efforts are underway to reach out to the prioritized beneficiaries in the month of January 2024, it said.

‘Donors must frontload funding to scale up the response this January. Timely responding by enhancing financial support for humanitarian operations is critically imperative to make meaningful and lifesaving interventions in all affected regions,’ it stressed.

According to the statement, the Ethiopian government and bilateral and multilateral development partners in close collaboration and coordination have been accelerating agricultural and food security, humanitarian programs in line with national development priorities and needs.

While these endeavors have brought tangible results in enhancing production and productivity; recu
rrent droughts would require sustained commitment and partnership from all actors to address major humanitarian situation due to cycles of multiple, often overlapping crises, which severely weakens communities’ ability to cope, it said.

An integrated multi-sectoral humanitarian response is urgently needed in drought-affected regions to avert compounding situations, it said.

Humanitarians and government operators are on the ground and have the necessary experience, expertise, and established structures and they are ready to deliver.

The overlap of acute food insecurity, high malnutrition rates, severe water scarcity coupled with a surge in disease outbreaks (malaria, measles, and cholera), and livestock impacts are worsening the situation in drought-affected regions.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The Coalition for Positive Impact, organisers of the Igniting Dreams Prize, has disbursed GHS38,500.00 to the Sixth Igniting Dreams (ID24) Prize winners during the awards ceremony held in Wa at the weekend.

The Northern Region-based C-CARE, a special education provider for students with specific academic challenges such as dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia, won the Gold Prize and received GHS12,000.00.

Gbentek Digital Solutions, an information technology start-up in the Upper West Region, won the Silver Prize and received GHS9,000.00, while the Bronze Prize of GHS7,000.00 went to Diva Farms, an organic vegetable production farm in the Northern Region.

The Locker Room Sports, a sportswear production and retail company, also in the Northern Region, came Fourth with a prize cash of GHS5,000.00.

The remaining participants of the pitch competition received GHS1,000.00 each with ZebillaFarms in the Upper East Region receiving the People’s Choice Prize of GHS1,500.00.

Out of the 138 youth-led businesses ope
rating within the five regions of northern Ghana that entered the award scheme, 10 outstanding businesses were shortlisted to pitch their businesses.

Mr Maazu Bayuoni, the Founder and President of the Coalition for Positive Impact (CPI), speaking at the Igniting Dreams summit, said the programme had impacted more than 1,500 young people and 30 young entrepreneurs in northern Ghana over the last five years.

‘Since our establishment, we have been able to reach out to over 1,500 young people across the Northernbelt and supported 30 young entrepreneurs with seed funding and business development training,’ he said.

He explained that the Coalition had mobilised over GHS100,000 in resources to provide funding support for young entrepreneurs to sustain their businesses.

These young entrepreneurs, through the Igniting Dreams programme, had been able to scale up their businesses and created over 300 job opportunities for other youths.

Madam Maria Johana Yuorpor, the Chairperson of the ID24 Planning Committee, spea
king at the opening of the pitch competition, encouraged young people to strive to make an impact on society and ‘not be too keen on the money aspect.’

She urged the participants to maximise the knowledge gained from the seminars/ trainings by the CPI to impact their lives and to have a rippling effect on society.

‘I always preach the gospel that let’s look more for the impact and not for the money. The money will come someway somehow when you least expect it,’ she noted.

Superintendent Mr Peter Lanchene Toobu (Rtd), the Member of Parliament for Wa West, said he supported the Igniting Dreams Prize initiative because of its potential impact on young businesses.

He said holding many degrees would be meaningless if those certificates could not impact the life of the holder and society, touting innovation, change, and entrepreneurship as the way to improve one’s life.

‘Many people who are rich today didn’t begin looking for money. Look for the social problem, provide an innovative solution to that problem an
d money will be chasing you,’ Mr Toobu advised.

The Sangu Delle Foundation, Noni Hub, Rabito Clinic, DLight Space, Girls Initiative Ghana, and Steward Reigns Photography supported the event, held on the theme: ‘Developing Northern Ghana through Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Leadership’.

Source: Ghana News Agency