The World Food Programme (WFP) requires US$739,601 (about N$14 million) in net funding to sustain its operations in Namibia over the six-month period from December 2025 to May 2026.
The agency said the shortfall represents a 17% funding gap in its total operational requirements for the period, warning that planned activities will be constrained unless additional resources are secured.
According to WFP, the funding is needed to maintain food assistance, social protection support and food systems strengthening at a time when Namibia continues to face compounded climate and economic pressures.
The organisation attributed ongoing needs to recurrent droughts and floods, pest infestations and structural vulnerabilities in the country’s food production systems.
Namibia has been affected by severe drought conditions linked to the El Niño phenomenon, which have resulted in crop failures and rising food insecurity.
The WFP says the country’s reliance on rain-fed agriculture and external food markets has left low-income households particularly exposed to food price inflation and climate-related shocks.
In November, the WFP reported that 15 725 people received food assistance through its programmes. Of these, 3 687 people were supported through food voucher assistance, while 12 038 schoolchildren benefited from the Homegrown School-Feeding Programme.
The organisation says its work in Namibia extends beyond emergency food assistance to strengthening national systems. The WFP has been providing technical support to government institutions to improve social protection delivery, school-feeding programmes and food system resilience.
“Capacity-strengthening initiatives during the reporting period included targeted workshops designed to enhance food safety standards, digital systems integration and monitoring mechanisms for social protection programmes,” the organisation said.
The WFP says it is working with national authorities to advance digital transformation in social protection systems, including efforts to harmonise beneficiary management and digital assistance platforms to improve data sharing, coordination and targeting of vulnerable households.
School-based interventions remain a priority, with the programme reporting progress in establishing integrated horticulture and poultry production systems at selected schools to complement the national school-feeding programme.
The initiatives aim to strengthen local food systems, reduce reliance on external suppliers and improve long-term sustainability.
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