The Board of Directors of the African Development Group has approved US $125 million in funding for the first phase of a drought resilience project and provision of long-lasting means of subsistence to populations in the Horn of Africa.

Three countries, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya, as well as the Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development are involved in the first phase of this regional project funded by way of loans and grants provided by the African Development Fund (ADF) beginning in 2013.

The African Development Fund grants amount to US $15 million for Djibouti, and US $7 million for the IGAD Secretariat. The ADF loans of US $46 million and US $56 million to Ethiopia and Kenya, respectively, will go to support activities aimed at restoring the means of subsistence of the populations through investments in natural resources management, land management, restoration and protection of the ecosystem, as well as agriculture and livestock infrastructure.

The project will equally contribute to the improvement of storage, marketing and transportation facilities, including the upgrade of rural roads. The objective is to focus on the deeper causes of the region's vulnerability in order to build resilience in the face of medium- and long-term drought periods, consolidate peace and promote the equitable use of limited natural resources.

Certain drought-prone regions are concerned by the project, namely: Beyya Dader, Gaggade-Derela and Weimar in Djibouti; Afar and Somali in Ethiopia; and Baringo, Isiolo, Marsabit, Samburu, Turkana and West Pokot - six arid and semi-arid regions in Kenya. According to estimates, the project will benefit 12 million people, 98 million cattle, and 173 million sheep and goats that are victims to drought.

The implementation of the inclusive green program will have a deep-rooted environmental and socio-economic impact in these regions.