KOICA strengthens WFP’s efforts to prevent malnutrition in Ethiopia

The contribution was announced during a ceremony in Addis Ababa on December 16, 2025, where Dr. Dereje Dugma, State Minister of Health, emphasized how the initiative aligns with government efforts to improve nutrition and resilience for food insecure families.

“WFP is grateful to KOICA for this strategic investment, delivered in partnership with the Ministry of Health. This is critical to advance Ethiopia’s food and nutrition security and human capital outcomes.” said Zlatan Milišić, WFP’s Country Director in Ethiopia. “This will deliver a triple impact: improved nutrition for vulnerable families, stronger local food systems, and greater household resilience through better access to diverse diets and best agricultural practices.”

The contribution enables WFP to diversify diets and improve nutrition for pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children by providing food vouchers to 5,000 families, allowing them to buy nutritious fresh foods like eggs, fruits and vegetables. WFP will also strengthen local food systems and build community resilience by providing thousands of food insecure families with agricultural inputs like machines and seeds, connecting them to key agricultural services such as animal health, and training health workers, agricultural agents and market retailers in best agricultural practices.

“This new contribution from KOICA reaffirms the Republic of Korea’s commitment to supporting Ethiopia’s efforts to improve nutrition and resilience, particularly for women, children, and vulnerable households,” said Mr. Taeyoung Kim, KOICA’s country director in Ethiopia. “Sustainable progress in nutrition, health and food systems will be achieved through strong ownership, long-term investment and coordinated multi-sector actions, along with the long-standing multilateral partnership.”

The contribution will be implemented in six woredas across Afar, Sidama and Central Ethiopia regions under the Seqota Declaration, one of Ethiopia’s flagship initiatives to end child undernutrition by 2030.

Malnutrition is a general term that covers both undernutrition and obesity. Undernutrition - which includes conditions like wasting (low weight-for-height), stunting (low height-for-age) and underweight (low weight-for-age) - is a public health and development challenge in Ethiopia. Poor dietary diversity and limited access to nutritious foods contribute significantly to undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, especially among women of reproductive age and children under five years of age.

“The Ministry of Health provides unwavering support to this important initiative to advance our national nutrition agenda and strengthen resilience in vulnerable communities under the Seqota Declaration,” said Dr. Dugma.

The Republic of Korea has been a major contributor to WFP, providing USD70 million through the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to support humanitarian and development responses in Ethiopia since 2021.

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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

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