ProAct II review spotlights key achievements, calls for institutionalising digital tools for lasting impact

25 March 2025, Hawassa, Ethiopia:- A high-level review meeting for the “Support to Effective Food Security, Nutrition, and Resilience Programming in Ethiopia” (ProAct II) project praised the notable progress made and stressed the importance of institutionalising its digital systems and methodologies for sustainable impact.

The review focused on the project’s key achievements, including the improved methodologies for the Woreda (District) Disaster Risk Profile and the newly developed Pictorial Evaluation Tools (PET). These tools offer information on the conditions of livestock and forage, bolstering the national Agricultural Early Warning System. The team also assessed the Productive Safety Net Programme ( PSNP) Livelihoods Performance Dashboard - a platform that provides real-time data on the performance of the livelihood component of the Rural PSNP.

As part of the review, the reviewing team visited communities near Hawassa to gather feedback on how the newly enhanced Woreda Disaster Risk Profile (WDRP) methodology has improved operations. Local participants shared valuable insights into how the project’s innovations have added tangible values to their work.

Representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission (EDRMC), and regional governments, including Amhara, Oromia, Sidama, Somali, Central, and South Ethiopia of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, attended the review meeting, which was held from 18 to 19 March 2025. Participants from FAO’s Project Management Unit and the European Union Delegation to Ethiopia also attended.

Teriessa Jalleta, Programme Officer from the EU-Delegation’s Green Deal Team, highlighted that the ProAct II project is a key initiative within the EU’s Pro Resilience Action (PRO-ACT) framework. The project aligns with EU goals to enhance food security, nutrition, resilience, and capacity building. He added that the project complements other EU-funded efforts, especially in decentralizing disaster risk management (DRM) and contributing to Ethiopia’s Social Protection Programme (PSNP).

Douglas Magunda, from FAO Ethiopia, stressed the project’s role in enhancing national and subnational stakeholders’ capacity to generate and share accurate, timely information. This, he explained, helps communities better prepare for and manage shocks while improving food security and social protection systems.

Magunda also emphasised that, given its significant impact, the project’s outcomes should be refined, institutionalised, and adopted by national and regional governments further to strengthen food security and disaster risk management systems.

About the Project

The ProAct II project, funded by the European Union, implemented by FAO in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, EDRMC, and regional governments. The project seeks to improve the effectiveness of governmental institutions in food security and nutrition by offering evidence-based information and leveraging digital tools for better decision-making.

Expected results include enhanced food security and disaster risk management systems, improved stakeholder capabilities, and increased coordination. Districts in Afar, Amhara, Dire Dawa, Harari, Oromia, Sidama, Somali, Southern Ethiopia, and Tigray are being benefitting from the ongoing project outcomes.