This archive report was first published on 24 May 2020.
On May 21, 2020, the World Bank approved a record $500 million in grants and low-interest loans to help countries in Africa and the Middle East combat swarms of desert locusts.
Four of the hardest-hit countries - Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda - will receive $160 million (Sh17 billion) immediately, according to Holger Kray, a senior World Bank official.
Locust swarms have infested 23 countries across East Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, the biggest outbreak in 70 years, the World Bank said.
The Horn of Africa region could suffer up to $8.5 billion (Sh909 billion) in damage to crop and livestock production by year-end without broad measures to reduce locust populations and prevent their spread, the World Bank estimates.
Desert locusts can travel up to 150 kilometres a day, exacerbating the crisis.
