VZCZCXRO7648
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMA RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUEHLU #0434/01 1271437
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 071437Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY LUANDA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3931
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LUANDA 000434 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/S CKARBER, EB/TPP, PRM, F, AND G 
USAID FOR GH/HIDN RICHARD GREENE, AFR/SA ERIC LOKEN, DAA/AFR WALTER 
NORTH, DCHA/OFDA CHRIS PRATT, 
DCHA/FFP GEILERTS, AND AFR/SD 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O.  12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID EAGR ECON SOCI KPAO AO
SUBJECT: ANGOLA: REQUEST FOR FOOD SECURITY ASSESSMENT 
 
REF: A)06 LUANDA 00123 B)05 LUANDA 01487 
 
¶1. This is an Action Message.  See para 11. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Summary.  Gary Eilerts, USAID/Washington's Program Manager 
for the Famine Early Warning System Information Network (FEWS NET), 
visited Luanda March 26 and 27, 2007, to explore with USAID, 
relevant donors, and the Government of the Republic of Angola (GRA) 
a possible assessment of the GRA's food security monitoring system. 
USAID/Angola originally raised the possibility with the GRA and 
USAID/Washington of doing such an assessment in October 2006.  An 
assessment is needed as soon as possible, or ideally by the end of 
June 2007, given that the GRA has issued a memorandum that calls for 
revitalizing its food information system.  An assessment would 
define how the vertical structures of food security and early 
warning monitoring and assessment should function.  USAID/Angola 
requests assistance from USAID's Food for Peace Office (FFP) to 
carry out this assessment, which will show how food availability 
information is currently transmitted from the provincial to the 
central level and make recommendations to improve the system's 
functioning.  End Summary. 
 
Improving Food Security Information 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) In a meeting with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural 
Development's Office for Food Security (MINADER), the Director Dr. 
David Tunga presented Mr. Eilerts and AIDoff with a copy of a 
document entitled "Memorandum on the Necessity of Revitalizing the 
Information System and Re-Launching Provincial Food Security 
Groups." 
 
¶4. (U) MINADER's program would link to the multi-ministry national 
vulnerability assessment committee (VAC) and improve the available 
food security data being collected at the provincial level while 
incorporating information from the Ministry of Assistance and Social 
Reintegration (MINARS) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) as well as 
from private sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).  Dr. 
Tunga asserted that establishing an effective food security 
monitoring system is a priority of the GRA and reported that its 
plan had been shared with the Food and Agriculture Organization 
(FAO) Representative and the EC Missions in Luanda.  This would be a 
phased project and initially be rolled out in three or four 
provinces.  Provincial data would be substantially improved by the 
participation of different officials; e.g., a provincial Vice 
Governor would be in charge of coordinating and collecting data, and 
at the municipal level, the Administrator would be responsible and 
local "sobas" (indigenous chiefs) would be consulted.  MINADER asked 
USAID to consider supporting its plan. 
 
¶5.  (U) MINADER supports doing an assessment of its monitoring 
capacity.  However, it felt that the assessment should look at the 
provincial and municipal levels and not just focus on the central 
government.  MINADER supports having an official from the Southern 
African Development Community (SADC) support the assessment.  Angola 
would welcome assistance from Mozambique's Technical Secretariat for 
Food Security and Nutrition (SETSAN) or from a similar entity in 
Brazil. 
 
Location, Location, Location - a Vacuum in the VAC 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶6. (SBU) As part of its downsizing, the World Food Program (WFP) 
transferred equipment and staff to MINADER.  GRA food security 
capacity has been strengthened by FAO support and the USAID-funded 
FEWS NET project.  In sum, MINADER has some subject-matter 
expertise.  The MINADER is tasked with reconstituting the 
multi-ministry VAC, which exists in name only.  However, MINADER has 
limited expertise and cannot influence other ministries, limiting 
its ability to revitalize the VAC. 
 
¶7. (SBU) MINADER wants to re-launch the food security monitoring 
system but eventually move it to a new, autonomous institute or to 
an improved VAC sponsored by the Prime Minister.  AIDoff and donors 
doubt VAC will get such high-level support. 
 
Down But Not Out:  the WFP 
--------------------------- 
 
¶8. (U) In October 2006 WFP announced that it would end all food aid 
operations by the end of 2006 due to a lack of funding (REFTEL A). 
However, it stayed open by selling off its assets, cutting staff to 
about 50 employees, getting a loan and donations, and reducing its 
sub-offices.  For the next two years WFP intends to focus on 
developing the GRA's food security monitoring and response capacity 
 
LUANDA 00000434  002 OF 002 
 
 
at either the central or provincial level.  It is currently 
developing a position paper on how it can do this. 
 
¶9. (SBU) The WFP believes that the GRA has no food security 
framework in place and that the MINADER only tracks crop production 
and does not monitor the full range of food security indicators. 
WFP feels that the Ministry of Planning (MOP) would be essential to 
any long-term food security monitoring system.  Further, according 
to WFP, the GRA could create an institute or a national commission 
and be linked to the MOP, which has more multi-sectoral authority. 
WFP believes that the time is right to assess the GRA's food 
security monitoring capacity since the country is no longer 
emergency-oriented. 
 
Switching Gears: the European Commission (EC) 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) The EC supported MINADER through a 4 million euro project 
implemented by the FAO, but after six years, there was still no food 
security monitoring system in place.  The EC saw no clear commitment 
by the GRA to food security, so in 2007 it ended its support for the 
MINADER project. At the same time, the EC has evolved from the 
programs centered on the distribution of food, seeds and tools via 
NGOs and the WFP to implementing agricultural development projects 
in Benguela, Hula, Huambo, Bi, Moxico, and the extreme south of 
the country.  It is working through NGOs to build the capacity of 
agricultural associations and to create rotating funds to finance 
them. 
 
Request for FFP Assistance 
--------------------------- 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Embassy Luanda remains concerned about GRA and its food 
security monitoring (REFTEL B).  As a follow up to Mr. Eilerts' TDY, 
USAID/Angola requests FFP assistance in identifying and funding 
consultants to carry out an assessment of the GRA's food security 
monitoring capabilities by the end of June 2007.  The revised Terms 
of Reference for this assessment that were previously drafted and 
shared with FFP last year reflect updated information gathered by 
Mr. Eilerts.  This assessment has been refocused to start at the 
municipal and provincial levels and will examine how food security 
information (including relevant information from the MOH and MINARS 
as well as the MINADER) is collected and transmitted to the central 
level. 
FERNANDEZ