Bulawayo, (New Ziana)-Aid agencies complementing government efforts of providing food relief to communities affected by the El Nino-induced drought have been urged to deliver it to the doorsteps of beneficiaries to avoid pilfering and fraud by middlemen.
In an interview on the sidelines of the African Risk Capacity Insurance Payout stakeholder engagement meeting, Public Service, Labor and Social Welfare Minister July Moyo pointed out that giving cash to rural folks will create problems as they will end up not accessing food.
Zimbabwe received an insurance payout of US$16,8 million as a result of its engagement with the African Risk Capacity (ARC) Group Disaster Financing mechanisms. The initiative is crafted to assist Member States of the African Union (AU) in strategizing, preparing and responding more effectively to extreme weather events.
The disbursement, executed by ARC Limited, the arm of the ARC Group in charge of risk pooling and transfer, is intended to aid populations impacted by the unsuccessful 2023/2024 agricultural season in their recovery efforts.
“You will end up having arbitrage where people cannot access food. They will look for someone who can look for food for them and they will end up losing out. That is why the government program in the rural areas is strict about taking food nearest to beneficiaries,” said Moyo.
“Let us take food closer to our people so that when you distribute in a village or ward, they can carry it without any problem.”
According to Zimbabwe’s Food Security Outlook to March 2025, at least 6.2 million people living in rural areas will require food assistance, with nearly 465 000 metric tons of grain needed. A total of 1.7 million food-insecure people in urban areas are set to benefit through a cash transfer program that the government and aid agencies have initiated.
New Ziana