Written question asked by Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru) on Wednesday, 1 March 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 6 March 2023 (named day). It was answered by Andrew Mitchell (Conservative) on Monday, 6 March 2023 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

East Africa: Development Aid

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to help support countries in East Africa with drought; and whether his Department will increase funding to East Africa.

Answer: The UK is committed to supporting communities facing severe impacts of the ongoing drought across East Africa. In November 2022, I [Minister Mitchell] visited Somalia and announced new assistance bringing the UK's total support to over £61 million this financial year across humanitarian, health and nutrition programmes. In January 2023, I also announced a £16 million package of support that will reach more than 600,000 people affected by the drastic impacts of drought and conflict across Ethiopia. In Kenya, in response to the drought, 30,500 children received life-saving nutritional assistance because of the UK's support this financial year. This crisis remains a priority for Ministers and the UK will continue to promote long-term resilience to recurrent shocks such as drought and flooding.

Secondary information