WFP Republic of CongoCountry Brief

In Numbers
298.873 mt of food distributed

July 2024

USD 10 million six-month net funding
requirements (August 2024 - January2025)
33,876 people assisted in July 2024
54%

Operational Context
The Republic of Congo (Congo) is a resource-rich yet lower
middle-income, food-deficit country that produces only 30
percent of its food requirements. In Congo, 31 percent of theOperational Updates
Nutrition support•

In July, 16,543 refugees from Central African
Republic residing in Bétou (Likouala Department)
received in-kind food distributions.

•As part of the treatment and prevention ofmoderate acute malnutrition (MAM), WFP assisted
4,290 children aged 6 to 59 months as well as 2,651
pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls in
Pointe-Noire, and the Departments of Pool andLékoumou. These distributions were carried out
through health centres in partnership with theNational Directorate of Hygiene and Health
Promotion.

population is food insecure. The country has been facing
economic stagnation since 2015, aggravated by the COVID-19
pandemic and rising food and transport prices due to theUkraine - Russia conflict, all of which exacerbate foodinsecurity. The oil sector accounts for about half of thecountry’s gross domestic product and 80 percent of its
exports. After growing by an estimated 1.5 percent in 2022,
the Congolese economy continued to recover in 2023, mainly
driven by the oil sector. Yet, around half the population lives
below the international poverty line (USD 2.15/day). With apopulation of 6.1 million people, the Republic of Congo is oneof the least densely populated countries in Africa, with 17.9
inhabitants per square kilometre.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has beenpresent in the Republic of Congo since 1968. Operations arecurrently ongoing in 11 of the 12 Departments.

46%

School Feeding & country capacity strengthening•Schools are closed until October 2024.

•WFP has continued to distribute take-homerations to schoolchildren to ensure they receive
food assistance during school vacations. This
support is vital for vulnerable households where
schoolchildren stay at home with limited access tofood during school closures. WFP distributed an
estimated 57 metric tons of food to 10,253schoolchildren in seven departments across thecountry this month.

Climate Change•Population: 6.1 million

2022 Human Development Index: 149
out of 193

Income Level: Lower middle

Chronic malnutrition: 19.6% ofchildren aged 6-59 months

Contact info: Disha Banik (disha.banik@wfp.org)
Country Director: Gon Myers (gon.myers@wfp.org)
Further information: www.wfp.org/countries/congo

WFP participated in the first International
Conference on Afforestation and Reforestation(ICAR) in Brazzaville from 2 to 5 July. The
conference, organized by the Ministry of Forest
Economy, brought together numerous heads ofstate and government from Africa, Asia, andEurope, as well as the President of the African
Union and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J.
Mohammed, to strengthen synergies with theCongolese government in the fight against climatechange.

They established a strategy to be submitted to the79th United Nations General Assembly for theadoption of a resolution endorsing the Decade ofAfforestation
andReforestation
andtoinstitutionalize the International Conference on
Afforestation and Reforestation through its
biennial and rotating organization acrosscontinents. This conference followed the ThreeBasins Summit held in Brazzaville in October 2023,
showcasing government priorities.

WFP Country Strategy
Country Strategic Plan (2019-2024)
Total Requirement(in USD)

218 m

Allocated Contributions(in USD)

165 m

Six Month Net Funding
Requirements (in USD)

10 m

Strategic Result 01: Everyone has access to food
Strategic Outcome 01: Food-insecure people affected by shocks haveaccess to adequate food all year round
Focus area: Emergency Response
Activity:•Provide unconditional and/or conditional food and nutrition
assistance to people affected by shocks.

Monitoring and Assessment•WFP, in collaboration with United Nations
agencies, the government of the Republic ofCongo, and the National Institute of Statistics hascompleted and validated the Comprehensive
Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis. The
analysis found that in the Republic of Congo, 30.6
percent of households are food insecure,corresponding to 1,794,396 people, including
87,122 who are severely food insecure. The
findings of the report will provide the government
and its development partners with updated data
to be used for policymaking. The analysis will also
guide interventions by WFP and otherstakeholders across the Republic of Congo.

•As part of the response to the floods and insupport of the Ministry of Social Affairs andHumanitarian Action, WFP and other United
Nations agencies rolled out a multi-sectoral
evaluation to assess the impact of the most recent
humanitarian interventions which took place
between the end of 2023 and April 2024 in theaffected departments. This assessment will
inform an effective and sustainable recovery
strategy.

Strategic Outcome 02: Equitable national social protection interventions
effectively target vulnerable populations, including school-aged children
with sustained access to safe and nutritious food
Focus area: Addressing the root causes of hunger and food insecurity, andimproving national institutions and systems for social protection
Activities:•Provide safe, adequate, and nutritious school meals to targetedschool children.
•Provide technical support to Government for improved
implementation of shock-responsive social protectioninterventions.
Strategic Result 03: Smallholder productivity and incomes
Strategic Outcome 03: Targeted smallholder farmers and communities
benefit from productive and sustainable livelihoods which support
nutrition value chains
Focus area: Building the resilience of smallholder agricultural systems
Activity:•Provide analytical, technical and equipment support forsmallholder farmers aimed at encouraging market-oriented andclimate-resilient production and livelihoods.
Strategic Result 08: Enhance global partnership
Strategic Outcome 05: National Humanitarian and development actors
have access to WFP expertise
Focus area: Crisis response
Activity:•Provide on-demand logistical services to humanitarian partners.

DonorsAdaptation Fund, Germany, Global Partnership for
Education, India, Brazil and South Africa Facility for
Poverty and Hunger Alleviation, Japan, Mastercard,
Republic of Congo, Share the Meal, United States ofAmerica, World Bank (in alphabetical order).

Photo: UN agency Country Directors with Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy
Secretary General of the United Nations during the International
Conference for Afforestation and Reforestation in Brazzaville.
WFP/ Aimable Twiringiyimana

WFP Republic of Congo Country Brief
July 2024