MOGADISHU, Somalia

Ethiopia’s prime minister on Sunday was awarded the prestigious UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Agricola Medal in Rome.

Abiy Ahmed was awarded for his government’s vision, leadership, and commitment to food security and nutrition as well as the pursuit of innovative solutions in wheat self-sufficiency, according to a statement issued by his office on Sunday.

The Agricola Medal honors “distinguished” personalities for their commitment and support to the promotion of sustainable food production, world food security, and international cooperation.

In a brief statement after the ceremony in Rome, Ahmed expressed his gratitude to the Food and Agriculture Organization for “bestowing the prestigious Agricola Medal for our efforts towards the attainment of food security.”

He said his government’s focus on high-value and industrial crops is “yielding promising results and we are committed to our food sovereignty path.”

The award comes as the Horn of Africa nation is witnessing one of the worst droughts in decades, as close to 4 million Ethiopians need urgent food assistance.

Ethiopia’s Disaster Risk Management Commission said earlier this month that the situation had deteriorated significantly due to malnutrition rates and severe water scarcity coupled with a surge in disease outbreaks.

More than 860 people have died in the country’s northernmost Tigray region since September 2023 due to hunger, according to the Tigray communication bureau.

Getachew Reda, the Tigray regional administration interim head, said in December that the situation is a “catastrophe” comparable to the deadly 1984 famine in Ethiopia that left millions dead.

He said the legacies of the destructive war in Tigray that ended in 2022 and drought-induced famine have created a deadly combination that put 91% of Tigray citizens at risk of starvation.