Horn of Africa: WFP uses supplies hub and e-commerce

In a bid to provide both medical and humanitarian aid to disaster stricken areas, the UN’S World Food Programme (WFP) is adopting a complex logistics operation, including the use of an e-commerce app.

A new hub at Addis Ababa’s airport is used to arrange supplies for onward travel to over 30 African countries. In the Somali capital Mogadishu, people are using an app that allows them to order such supplies online and have them delivered to their homes.

“The food that we used to go to get from the shops is now being delivered to our homes by car, Masha’allah, I am so happy. It has changed many things in my life, bringing the food in to our houses due to precautions taken for coronavirus, so I am very grateful,” said Hani Mohamed Abdikadir, mother of three.

Since late January, WFP has dispatched humanitarian and medical cargo to 86 countries to support governments and health partners in their response to COVID-19.

A team of 25 WFP aviation and logistics staff is based at the Regional Hub at Bole International Airport, managing the 24-hour operation that transports cargo and humanitarian responders across the continent.

Through a mobile application, the E-commerce app beneficiaries can shop online and have the supplies delivered to their homes.