European Court of Auditors. Special report 20/2025: Commission support to fight hunger in sub-Saharan Africa – Commendable but insufficient focus on sustainability and impact

We assessed the Commission’s development efforts to combat food insecurity and malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa. Overall, the Commission has made valuable efforts, but its actions have not always targeted those with the greatest needs and lack sufficient impact and sustainability. The absence of clear criteria for prioritising regions or target groups, coupled with needs exceeding available funds, has constrained the overall impact of interventions. Although coordination has been satisfactory, weaknesses in project design, monitoring, and challenges in addressing root causes of food insecurity have negatively affected the expected sustainability and impact. While EU actions have been aligned with partner countries’ policies, and the Commission’s actions have contributed to progress, significant challenges persist in reducing malnutrition and food insecurity. We put forward recommendations for future action.