On 19th November 2025, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) released a special report, assessing the European Commission (EC)’s efforts in addressing food insecurity and malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa, conditions estimated to affect 29.3 % of the region’s population. While the EC has made meaningful contributions, namely through significant investments (more than €11 billion between 2014-2024), this report shows inconsistencies in how its interventions reach vulnerable populations, and notes an overall lack of sufficient impact and long-term sustainability.
Through its 2025 N4G pledge (amounting to €3.4 billion for the 2024-2027 period), and adherence to global and EU policy frameworks (such as the 2030 Agenda), the EU has showcased its commitment in being a reliable partner, and it can continue to do so by incorporating the following recommendations:
- Establishing and documenting clear prioritisation criteria: by developing a transparent methodology for the selection of the most vulnerable contexts, based on available data on the root causes of chronic or acute food insecurity and malnutrition.
- Strengthening the design of development projects: by highlighting the underlying, structural causes of food insecurity and malnutrition, fully engaging CSOs and local communities into policy development, implementation and monitoring to ensure that solutions are locally driven, aligned with relevant needs to ensure long-term sustainability.
- Strengthen the implementation of the humanitarian-development peace nexus: by ensuring that interventions combine emergency responses with long-term development and peace-building, with greater coordination between partner countries, relevant directorate general and services. This should include clearly-defined roles, responsibilities and coordination mechanisms.
- Reinforcing the Commission’s monitoring and reporting framework: by carrying out risk-based field visits and systematically requiring documentation. Before project launch, introducing clear outcome indicators and baselines. The verification of results (such as beneficiaries reached, equipment delivered, outcome indicators), and proposing a common methodology to other donors for reporting food-security funding and results.
- Enhance the sustainability of projects: by requiring that new projects include context-sensitive strategies to reinforce local systems and capacities in a sustainable manner, and where appropriate, to conduct post-project reviews (6-12 months after completion) to assess continued impact.
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