Relief agencies affiliated with the United Nations issued a warning on Friday, stating that rising prices have exacerbated a food crisis in West and Central Africa, where nearly 55 million people will struggle to feed themselves in the coming months.
The agencies noted that the number of people facing hunger during the lean season from June to August has quadrupled over the past five years, attributing the crisis not only to recurrent conflicts in the region but also to economic challenges such as inflation surpassing 10% and stagnation in local production.
In a joint statement, the World Food Programme, UNICEF, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) identified Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Mali as among the hardest-hit countries, where an estimated 2,600 people in northern areas are likely to face catastrophic hunger.
Margot van der Velden, Acting Regional Director of the World Food Programme for West Africa, emphasized, “The time to act is now. We need all partners to come together… to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control.”
The agencies highlighted that food shortages are resulting in alarming levels of malnutrition, estimating that 16.7 million children under the age of five are suffering from acute malnutrition across West and Central Africa.
The region’s heavy reliance on food imports has contributed to mounting pressures, particularly for countries grappling with soaring inflation rates like Ghana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.
Robert Guei, FAO Regional Coordinator for West Africa, stressed the need for policies to enhance and diversify local food production to address unprecedented food insecurity and malnutrition.
