The World Bank has approved the $90 million East Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme, which will benefit Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania by strengthening agriculture in those countries, reports The Standard.

Karen Brooks, the Sector Manager for Agriculture, Rural, and Social Development Operations, said that the programme would improve access to agricultural technology in the production of the region’s priority commodities, identified as dairy, cassava rice and wheat. This would enable the agricultural sector to play a transformative role in Africa’s economic development, she added.

Agriculture accounts for 40% of East African GDP, and supports more than two-thirds of the population.  The programme will contribute to growth, structural change, and food security in the region.