One in five people in Africa are hungry – World Bank Report says
A report from the World Bank reveals that one in five people in Africa are currently facing hunger and food insecurity challenges.
According to the latest Food Security Update, an estimated 713 million to 757 million people are affected globally with regions in West and Central Africa being the most affected.
Essentially, out of the one in eleven people hungry around the world, five of them are Africans.
Countries such as Sudan, Nigeria, and Ethiopia top the list for the highest levels of food insecurity with conflict remaining the principal driver.
In Sudan alone, the ongoing conflict has left around 25.6 million people experiencing acute food insecurity as per data collated in 2023, representing a 26 percent increase from the previous year.
“The conflict has also resulted in more than 2 million people fleeing to neighbouring countries, exacerbating regional food crises,” parts of the report read.
Countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) also remain high on the charts, with over 15 million people facing high levels of food security.
Extreme weather events, like droughts caused by El Niño (variations in winds and sea surface temperatures in the Equatorial pacific), have significantly impacted local agriculture and food availability on the continent.
Countries with limited access to financing face higher rates of undernourishment and childhood stunting, the report added.
According to the report, 71.5 percent of the population in low-income countries struggle to afford nutritious food, compared with 52.6 percent in lower-middle-income countries and significantly lower percentages in higher-income nations.
Although progress in food security was observed in Latin America, the situation in Africa has worsened, and there was no significant change in Asia.
However, nations such as Kenya were highlighted as having achieved significant declines in food security, with more than 1 million fewer people facing acute food crises.
The high levels of food insecurity globally, according to the report, pose challenges to the achievement of the SDG 2 – Zero Hunger goal by 2030.
The report further suggested that by the end of the decade, 582 million people will be chronically undernourished—most of them in Africa.
The World Bank recommends increased investment in sustainable agriculture to strengthen food supply chains and improve agricultural resilience to climate shocks as key steps to reduce Africa’s dependence on external food imports.
Humanitarian aid, additional funding and international collaboration are also highlighted as solutions to support nations in combating hunger, particularly in Africa.
