ANGOLA: REQUEST FOR FOOD SECURITY ASSESSMENT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LUANDA 000434 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/S CKARBER, EB/TPP, PRM, F, AND G USAID FOR GH/HIDN RICHARD GREENE, AFR/SA ERIC LOKEN, DAA/AFR WALTER NORTH, DCHA/OFDA CHRIS PRATT, DCHA/FFP GEILERTS, AND AFR/SD SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID EAGR ECON SOCI KPAO AO SUBJECT: ANGOLA: REQUEST FOR FOOD SECURITY ASSESSMENT REF: A)06 LUANDA 00123 B)05 LUANDA 01487 ¶1. This is an Action Message. See para 11. ¶2. (SBU) Summary. Gary Eilerts, USAID/Washington's Program Manager for the Famine Early Warning System Information Network (FEWS NET), visited Luanda March 26 and 27, 2007, to explore with USAID, relevant donors, and the Government of the Republic of Angola (GRA) a possible assessment of the GRA's food security monitoring system. USAID/Angola originally raised the possibility with the GRA and USAID/Washington of doing such an assessment in October 2006. An assessment is needed as soon as possible, or ideally by the end of June 2007, given that the GRA has issued a memorandum that calls for revitalizing its food information system. An assessment would define how the vertical structures of food security and early warning monitoring and assessment should function. USAID/Angola requests assistance from USAID's Food for Peace Office (FFP) to carry out this assessment, which will show how food availability information is currently transmitted from the provincial to the central level and make recommendations to improve the system's functioning. End Summary. Improving Food Security Information -------------- ¶3. (U) In a meeting with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Office for Food Security (MINADER),the Director Dr. David Tunga presented Mr. Eilerts and AIDoff with a copy of a document entitled "Memorandum on the Necessity of Revitalizing the Information System and Re-Launching Provincial Food Security Groups." ¶4. (U) MINADER's program would link to the multi-ministry national vulnerability assessment committee (VAC) and improve the available food security data being collected at the provincial level while incorporating information from the Ministry of Assistance and Social Reintegration (MINARS) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) as well as from private sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Dr. Tunga asserted that establishing an effective food security monitoring system is a priority of the GRA and reported that its plan had been shared with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representative and the EC Missions in Luanda. This would be a phased project and initially be rolled out in three or four provinces. Provincial data would be substantially improved by the participation of different officials; e.g., a provincial Vice Governor would be in charge of coordinating and collecting data, and at the municipal level, the Administrator would be responsible and local "sobas" (indigenous chiefs) would be consulted. MINADER asked USAID to consider supporting its plan. ¶5. (U) MINADER supports doing an assessment of its monitoring capacity. However, it felt that the assessment should look at the provincial and municipal levels and not just focus on the central government. MINADER supports having an official from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) support the assessment. Angola would welcome assistance from Mozambique's Technical Secretariat for Food Security and Nutrition (SETSAN) or from a similar entity in Brazil. Location, Location, Location - a Vacuum in the VAC -------------- -------------- ¶6. (SBU) As part of its downsizing, the World Food Program (WFP) transferred equipment and staff to MINADER. GRA food security capacity has been strengthened by FAO support and the USAID-funded FEWS NET project. In sum, MINADER has some subject-matter expertise. The MINADER is tasked with reconstituting the multi-ministry VAC, which exists in name only. However, MINADER has limited expertise and cannot influence other ministries, limiting its ability to revitalize the VAC. ¶7. (SBU) MINADER wants to re-launch the food security monitoring system but eventually move it to a new, autonomous institute or to an improved VAC sponsored by the Prime Minister. AIDoff and donors doubt VAC will get such high-level support. Down But Not Out: the WFP -------------- ¶8. (U) In October 2006 WFP announced that it would end all food aid operations by the end of 2006 due to a lack of funding (REFTEL A). However, it stayed open by selling off its assets, cutting staff to about 50 employees, getting a loan and donations, and reducing its sub-offices. For the next two years WFP intends to focus on developing the GRA's food security monitoring and response capacity LUANDA 00000434 002 OF 002 at either the central or provincial level. It is currently developing a position paper on how it can do this. ¶9. (SBU) The WFP believes that the GRA has no food security framework in place and that the MINADER only tracks crop production and does not monitor the full range of food security indicators. WFP feels that the Ministry of Planning (MOP) would be essential to any long-term food security monitoring system. Further, according to WFP, the GRA could create an institute or a national commission and be linked to the MOP, which has more multi-sectoral authority. WFP believes that the time is right to assess the GRA's food security monitoring capacity since the country is no longer emergency-oriented. Switching Gears: the European Commission (EC) -------------- ¶10. (SBU) The EC supported MINADER through a 4 million euro project implemented by the FAO, but after six years, there was still no food security monitoring system in place. The EC saw no clear commitment by the GRA to food security, so in 2007 it ended its support for the MINADER project. At the same time, the EC has evolved from the programs centered on the distribution of food, seeds and tools via NGOs and the WFP to implementing agricultural development projects in Benguela, Hula, Huambo, Bi, Moxico, and the extreme south of the country. It is working through NGOs to build the capacity of agricultural associations and to create rotating funds to finance them. Request for FFP Assistance -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Embassy Luanda remains concerned about GRA and its food security monitoring (REFTEL B). As a follow up to Mr. Eilerts' TDY, USAID/Angola requests FFP assistance in identifying and funding consultants to carry out an assessment of the GRA's food security monitoring capabilities by the end of June 2007. The revised Terms of Reference for this assessment that were previously drafted and shared with FFP last year reflect updated information gathered by Mr. Eilerts. This assessment has been refocused to start at the municipal and provincial levels and will examine how food security information (including relevant information from the MOH and MINARS as well as the MINADER) is collected and transmitted to the central level. FERNANDEZ