The Republic of Congo is a resource-rich country with the potential to achieve  Sustainable Development Goal 2  and reach  zero hunger by 2030. 

However, despite an abundance of natural resources, at least 46.5 percent of the population live below the international poverty line of US$2.15 per day, and hunger and malnutrition are widespread.  

One in three people in the Republic of Congo is food insecure. At least 29.3 percent are moderately food insecure, and 4 percent are severely food insecure. Among children under 5, the global acute malnutrition level is 5.2 percent and chronic malnutrition is 19.6 percent.  

Food insecurity doubled from 2013 to 2023, due to multiple challenges. Food prices remain high because of persistent fuel shortages and outages. 

As an oil-dependent economy, the country is highly vulnerable to fluctuations in global oil prices. Meanwhile, youth unemployment stands at an alarming 42 percent, and fiscal instability – including increasing debt levels – has contributed to a downgrade in the country’s credit rating.

The Republic of Congo hosts around 80,000 refugees, primarily from the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Refugees are concentrated in flood-prone areas with limited livelihood opportunities. Up to 300,000  people in the Republic of Congo, including refugees, are affected by flooding each year.

The World Food Programme (WFP) responds to crises  and  builds long-term resilience  in 11 out of 12 departments in the Republic of Congo. WFP’s role is increasingly shifting from operational to advisory, through building government capacity to carry out initiatives. 

What the World Food Programme is doing in Congo

Crisis response
WFP provides food or cash assistance and nutrition support to 108,600 vulnerable people, including refugees, asylum seekers, returnees, local flood-affected populations, acutely malnourished children and women, and people living in urban areas who have been impacted by shocks and crises, including ethnic conflict, political violence and floods. Where appropriate, the assistance is combined with livelihood opportunities like food for assets, in which to receive food, beneficiaries create or rehabilitate assets like roads and infrastructure that enhance the economic resilience of their communities.
School meals
WFP Congo provides daily hot school meals to 126,000 schoolchildren, nearly half of whom are girls and 6,500 Indigenous, across 452 public schools in 7 departments. This improves children’s nutrition and education. WFP uses a dual school feeding approach of providing food donated from overseas and home-grown food. Moving forward, WFP will scale up the home-grown approach to source directly from Congolese smallholder farmers and spur the local economy. WFP is also transitioning to focus on strengthening the Government’s capacity to run a national school meals programme. In 2024, WFP transferred 25 pilot school canteens to Government management.
Building of national capacities
WFP supports the design and implementation of the National School Feeding Policy and works with the Government and fellow UN Agencies to ensure social protection interventions are effective, equitable and inclusive of the most marginalized populations, such as Indigenous Peoples. WFP also strengthens the country’s institutional knowledge on climate change adaptation and supports the Government in developing targeted climate services.
Support for smallholder farmers
WFP provides smallholder farmers with technical support and training to boost their food production, storage and transport to markets. WFP offers equipment and training in innovative agricultural techniques, including crop rotation, agroforestry, post-harvest management and conservation practices. Additionally, farmers are trained in mechanized processing for cassava and banana, which help enhance their production capacity. WFP also assists farmers in managing small-scale farms catering to local market demands, including school canteens, urban markets and surrounding communities. WFP also empowers smallholder farmers in adapting to climate change by strengthening climate-resilient rural livelihoods.
Logistics support
Building on its globally recognized supply chain expertise and infrastructure, WFP provides UN agencies, the Government and other partners with on-demand logistics and supply chain services. Using a comprehensive logistics network—including warehousing, ground transport, river transport, and airplane flights—WFP ensures that humanitarian and development assistance reaches all regions, including remote and hard-to-access areas. In 2024, WFP facilitated the delivery of 4,700 metric tons of food and emergency supplies. WFP Congo also resumed UN Humanitarian Air Service flights in 2024, which had been suspended since 2022, to reach as well as repatriate refugees.

Publications

Show more

In focus

Show more

Partners and donors

Achieving Zero Hunger is the work of many. Our work in Congo is made possible by the support and collaboration of our partners and donors, including:
The Government of the Republic of the Congo USA Germany Japan China

Operations in Congo

View all operations

Contacts

Office

Avenue du Général de Gaulle BP 1036. Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
Brazzaville
Congo - Brazzaville

Phone
+242 06 668 7493
Fax
Email
brazzaville.registry@wfp.org
For media inquiries
brazzaville.registry@wfp.org
Social

Advanced search