Hon. Lily Albino Akol, (6 from left), join a group photo for regional ministers of agriculture and World Bank officials in Nairobi. Photo Credit: MAFS/World Bank.
Nairobi, Kenya | September 22-23, 2025 — The Honorable Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Lily Albino Akol, participated in the “Regional Coordination Workshop on Strengthening Surveillance and Early Warning Systems for Desert Locust Management in the Horn of Africa.” The workshop, organized by the World Bank, brought together ministries of agriculture from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and South Sudan, as well as key regional and international organizations including the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the Desert Locust Control Organization (DLCO).
South Sudan, as one of the countries severely affected by the Desert Locust outbreak in 2019-2020, has been at the forefront of regional efforts to manage and control this devastating pest. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), with funding support from the World Bank under the Emergency Locust Response Project (ELRP) — a regional initiative valued at 50 million USD and implemented in partnership with UN-FAO — has actively engaged in combating the locust invasion and mitigating its impacts on food security and livelihoods.
Through this collaboration, MAFS has significantly strengthened its capacity to effectively respond to locust outbreaks and continues to address pest control challenges comprehensively. The workshop emphasized the critical need for consolidating efforts across the region, harmonizing surveillance technologies, and enhancing preparedness strategies to prevent future outbreaks and reduce the potentially high costs of locust-induced devastation.
MAFS remains committed to working closely with regional partners, international organizations, and development partners to safeguard agricultural productivity and food security in South Sudan and the wider Horn of Africa region.
For more information and updates, visit the MAFS website at mafs.gov.ss
