Head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Rajiv Shah, on Thursday (Feb. 21) announced $20 million in new American food aid for Somalia. The announcement follows a visit of an American delegation led by Rajiv Shah in Mogadishu where they met with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and other Somali leaders. During the discussion, Mr. Shah noted the opportune situation emerging in Somalia after two decades of conflict, famine and terrorism and emphasizes the need not only to address Somalia's "critical emergency needs" but also to promote stability and recovery. He said "it is important now to build a government and capacity" for Somalia "to become self-sufficient and to prosper economically so that children don't die because they don't have food to eat". He also mentioned the need for the government to put in place transparent systems to fight corruption. In January, Washington formally recognized Somalia's government for the first time since 1991, and Mr. Shah is the highest ranking U.S. administration official to visit Mogadishu in years.