Dakar (Senegal): A dire warning has been issued by U.N. humanitarian agencies, stating that soaring prices are exacerbating a food crisis in West and Central Africa, with nearly 55 million people expected to struggle to feed themselves in the coming months. The situation during the June-August lean season has escalated dramatically over the last five years, with economic challenges like double-digit inflation and stagnant local production driving the crisis alongside recurrent conflicts in the region.
Countries hardest hit include Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Mali, where approximately 2,600 people in northern regions are at risk of experiencing catastrophic hunger, according to a joint statement by the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
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Margot Vandervelden, WFP’s acting regional director for West Africa, emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “The time to act is now. We need all partners to step up … to prevent the situation from getting out of control.”
Malnutrition rates are alarmingly high due to food shortages, with an estimated 16.7 million children under the age of five suffering from acute malnutrition across West and Central Africa. The heavy reliance on food imports in the region has exacerbated the crisis, particularly in countries grappling with high inflation such as Ghana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.
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Robert Guei, the FAO’s Sub-regional Coordinator for West Africa, stressed the need for policies to enhance and diversify local food production to address the unprecedented food and nutrition insecurity in the region.
