Emmanuel OchayiThe United Nations (UN) revealed in a report that about 78% of Africans find themselves unable to afford a nutritious diet, marking a stark rise from previous figures.
The report was released jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the African Union Commission (AUC), the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), and the World Food Programme (WFP).
The report, titled “African Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2023,” paints a distressing picture of the continent’s food landscape. It asserts that three out of every four individuals in Africa cannot access a healthy meal, representing over 1 billion people on the continent.
Speaking on this concerning trend, the report stated, “Estimates show that in 2021, the majority of Africa’s population—about 78%—were unable to afford a healthy diet, compared with 42% at the global level.”
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This situation has been attributed to multifaceted factors, primarily the surge in food prices triggered by global disruptions in the supply chain, particularly with grains like wheat, due to the Russia/Ukraine crisis.
Across Africa, nations are grappling with soaring inflation rates, especially in food prices, which have become a significant driver of inflation. Nigeria, for instance, reported a food inflation rate of 31.5%, exacerbating the already high national inflation at 27.3%.
Similar trends were observed in various countries across sub-Saharan Africa, contributing to record levels of food inflation.
The repercussions are dire, plunging more individuals into poverty. The removal of fuel subsidies in Nigeria, for example, is anticipated to push around 7 million people into poverty due to attendant inflation.
Moreover, political and social upheavals have further exacerbated hunger. Instances of armed violence in West and Central Africa have displaced millions, while farmers in East Africa confront escalating threats from climate change and extreme weather events.
The report goes on to highlight that around 282 million people in Africa currently suffer from undernourishment, witnessing an increase of 57 million individuals since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shockingly, over a billion people in the region cannot afford a nutritious diet, and nearly 30% of children are affected by stunted growth due to malnutrition.
Worryingly, the report emphasizes that Africa is off course in achieving the food security and nutrition targets set by the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, as well as the Malabo Target aiming to eliminate hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2025.
In sum, the situation illuminated by this report underscores the urgent need for measures to address the interconnected challenges of rising food prices, political instability, climate change impacts, and widespread poverty that continue to thwart Africa’s journey toward food security and nutrition.
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