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

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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