Prime Minister arrives in Uganda for IGAD Drought Resilience Summit

His Excellency Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, this evening arrived in Kampala, Uganda to attend the IGAD Drought Resilience Summit. The meeting is the second IGAD summit on drought resilience following the devastating drought of 2010-2011. Bringing together all IGAD nations the summit will focus on investing differently to end drought emergencies.

Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, said:

“The devastating impact of drought is something that sadly all Somalis know and fear only too well. The draught and subsequent famine of 2010-2011 killed over 250,000 Somalis and threatened the livelihood of 13 million people across the IGAD region.

“Drought not only hits the most vulnerable communities but can have a devastating impact on the entire region – exacerbating food insecurity to famine levels, increasing economic hardships and human suffering.

“We must focus on early warning and preparedness in the drought prone communities and a quick response when drought hits. The long term solution must be to continue to mitigate through safety nets and build resilience.

“As a region we must continue to work together to do things differently to prevent and alleviate the devastating impact drought can have.”