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REDSO-ESA
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| Objective |
SO Number |
FY 2004 |
FY 2005 |
FY 2006 |
| Regional Food Security |
623-005 |
19,221 |
16,946 |
14,466 |
| Regional Conflict Management and Governance |
623-006 | 3,756 |
4,337 |
3,418 |
| Regional Health Systems Improvements |
623-007 | 6,000 |
6,400 |
4,880 |
| HIV/AIDs Pandemic |
623-008 |
6,500 |
6,500 |
6,500 |
| Total (in thousands of dollars) |
35,477 |
34,183 |
29,264 |
Excludes P.L. 480. See Program Annex.
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The Development Challenge: The 24 countries of east and southern Africa (ESA) have, for the most part, extremely low, or even negative, annual rates of economic growth. They are among the poorest and least developed countries in the world. Weak national leadership and pervasive corruption are realities that have inhibited economic progress, while reinforcing an atmosphere of political instability throughout the region. Persistent food insecurity and periodic recurrence of food emergencies negatively affect millions of people in vulnerable groups. Insufficient and deteriorating transportation and communication infrastructures, as well as major policy and bureaucratic obstacles, constrain intra-regional trade. As a result, political stability and economic development throughout the region continue to be fragile. In addition, the presence of an estimated 30 million HIV/AIDS-infected people in Sub-Saharan Africa amplifies the inadequacies of already overburdened public health systems that are unable to cope with severe health problems such as malaria and other infectious diseases, and high rates of maternal and child mortality. For the foreseeable future, the HIV/AIDS pandemic will continue to have a major and devastating impact on development -- across sectors -- throughout this region of Africa.
Notwithstanding this discouraging setting, FY 2004 witnessed some positive accomplishments. Peace in Burundi, however tenuous, continues to hold. The Arusha Peace Accords continue to provide the framework for the country's transition out of civil war and the move towards elections. In Somalia, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development's (IGAD) peace process has achieved a major breakthrough with the election by members of the transitional parliament of a new president and the selection of a prime minister. Formation of a cabinet is underway. In Sudan, the government and rebels from the south signed a comprehensive peace agreement in early 2005 to end years of civil war. In addition, elections in five ESA countries were declared free and fair - Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana, two ESA countries - Madagascar and Mozambique - were selected as Millennium Challenge Account (MCA)-eligible and four -- Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia -- were selected as eligible to apply for Millennium Challenge Account Threshold Program funding. Under the Threshold Program, these countries are eligible to apply for funding to help them make key policy reforms in areas such as anti-corruption, rule of law, education and health, and economic and trade policy to qualify for MCA assistance.
USAID promotes U.S. national interests in ESA through innovative activities that seek to diminish the risk of economic disruption, political disintegration, impoverishment and conflict throughout the region. USAID programs promote economic growth by focusing on the expansion of regional economic cooperation and the opening of national markets to international and intra-regional trade; helping to strengthen public health systems to better address the impact of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases and reducing the tragically high mortality rate among women and children; and strengthening African capabilities to prevent, mitigate and respond to conflict in the region. USAID programs also support Presidential Initiatives and Agency priorities such as: the Trade for African Development and Enterprise (TRADE) Initiative, the Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Initiative to End Hunger in Africa (IEHA), the Africa Education Initiative (AEI) and USAID initiatives on curbing corruption and building public-private alliances. USAID contributed to worldwide efforts to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS by developing an innovative, multi-sectoral approach to reducing the impact of the pandemic in the region. This approach directly supports the achievement of the goals and objectives articulated in the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
The USAID Program: USAID's program at the Regional Economic Development Services Office for East and Southern Africa (REDSO/ESA) is based on a unique three-part mandate to 1) manage an innovative regional set of activities; 2) provide services to other USAID programs in the region; and 3) manage USAID programs in Burundi, the Central African Republic, Djibouti and Somalia. USAID activities collaborate and partner with key multinational African entities to assist in the development and coordination of cross-border policies, procedures, and systems within four interconnected strategic objectives related to food security and economic growth, conflict prevention and mitigation, health systems improvement, and HIV/AIDS.
USAID has a regional perspective on many of the issues facing ESA and has the strength to respond to opportunities and crises in the region. USAID activities aimed at improving regional food security concentrate on increasing production and facilitating international and intra-regional trade in specific agricultural products. For example, strengthening capacities of organizations, e.g., the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (ASARECA), has resulted in significant increases in the aggregate value of trade and the export of selected agricultural commodities. Technical assistance and training have helped African entrepreneurs to expand trade links with the United States through the African Growth Opportunities Act (AGOA). TRADE funds were used to enhance equal access to the benefits of international trade for both men and women. Thirty-four firms likely to succeed in global markets were sent to trade shows in the United States, generating over $3.5 million in sales (one-third of which accrued to the 21 women-owned firms that employ substantial numbers of women -- 60% of the total sent). These efforts directly support two Presidential Initiatives: The Initiative to End Hunger in Africa (IEHA), and the TRADE Initiative.
Given the number and intensity of east African potential and actual cross-border conflict situations, USAID regional activities emphasize the identification and testing of innovative methodologies and systems to monitor key indicators of conflict in selected geographic areas and disseminate results and "best practices" through African organizations throughout the region. Activities in these "cluster areas" have enabled USAID to develop a unique index for measuring the capabilities of organizations to establish conflict early warning systems. In addition, USAID has provided technical assistance for important conflict vulnerability assessments.
USAID health sector activities concentrate on building management systems and technical skills of key partner entities that provide services related to the treatment of infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS; reproductive health and family planning; maternal and child health; and nutrition. As a result, a growing technical resource base has dramatically increased the sharing of information and the utilization of "lessons learned" throughout the region. These efforts have, in turn, promoted a dynamic policy dialogue within national governments on health systems and their ability to deal with a variety of health issues.
In FY 2004 USAID's regional office provided support (legal, financial, procurement, environmental assessment and food aid management) and technical advisory services to USAID programs in 24 countries in eastern, central and southern Africa. It also managed the USAID programs in Burundi, the Central African Republic, Djibouti and Somalia.
Other Program Elements: USAID continued to provide technical and managerial assistance to the large P.L. 480, Title II Emergency and Non-Emergency Food Assistance programs in 17 countries in the region, while supporting the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food aid program in 14 countries. USAID implemented humanitarian and emergency programs in the region and collaborated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other U.S. Government agencies on HIV/AIDS activities and programs. USAID's Bureau for Africa's Conflict Fund supports the regional program's efforts to mitigate and manage regional conflict dynamics and regional responses to conflict. USAID facilitated ongoing activities of centrally funded programs that provide technical assistance and training to key regional African institutions in population, health and nutrition activities. As part of a regional policy dialogue, USAID reviewed policies and their implications for regional programs, with an eye to filling gaps between centrally funded programs and the regional population, health and nutrition program. Areas where centrally funded health projects worked in FY 2004 include 1) malaria and pregnancy; 2) prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS; 3) and the impact of HIV/AIDS on reproductive health behavior.
Other Donors: The European Union and the United States are the first and second largest donors, providing direct assistance to regional institutions such as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and COMESA. Other important donors for food security, conflict prevention and health include the World Bank, Canada, Germany, the African Development Bank and the United Kingdom. In addition, USAID cooperates closely with United Nations agencies, such as the World Health Organization in maternal/child health and HIV/AIDS prevention, and the World Food Program in food assistance.
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