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UN: 78% of Africans can’t afford healthy food.
UN: 78% of Africans can’t afford healthy food.
The United Nations has reported that, following the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 78% of Africans cannot afford a nutritious diet.
This was stated in a report titled “African Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2023,” published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), and the World Food Programme (WFP).
According to the report, estimates reveal that 3 out of every 4 people on the continent cannot afford a healthy meal. This translates to around 78% of the population, or over 1 billion of the continent’s population.
It states, “Moreover, estimates show that in 2021 the majority of Africa’s population—about 78%—will be unable to afford a healthy diet, compared with 42% at the global level.”
It attributed the cause of the phenomenon to the increase in food prices across the continent, partly due to the Russia-Ukraine crisis, which disrupted the global supply chain of goods, especially grains such as wheat.
Africa’s food security crisis
The National Bureau of Statistics puts Nigeria’s inflation rate at 27.3%, but food inflation, the major driver of inflation in Nigeria, stands at 31.5%. But not only in Nigeria, but countries across the SSA region have seen record levels of food inflation.
Rising food prices and political instability are fueling hunger across the continent.
South Africa’s inflation rate rose to a 14-year high in March, and in Ghana, inflation jumped to almost 50% in September.
This increase has reduced consumers’ purchasing power and further pushed more people into poverty. For example, the World Bank estimates that around 7 million people will slide into poverty over the attendant inflation over the removal of fuel subsidies in Nigeria in May.
Also, political and social instability across the continent is responsible for the renewed hunger prevalent on the continent. Millions of people in West and Central Africa have been displaced from their communities due to armed violence, while in East Africa, farmers face significant threats from climate change and extreme weather.
The rising prices of food make it increasingly challenging for many families to afford an adequate diet as their incomes struggle to keep pace.
Furthermore, the report states that around 20% of Africa’s population, representing nearly 282 million people, is currently experiencing undernourishment, marking an increase of 57 million individuals since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moreover, over a billion people in the region cannot afford a nutritious diet, and roughly 30% of children suffer from stunted growth due to malnutrition.
Africa is not on track to achieve food security targets.
Africa is not on course to achieve the food security and nutrition targets outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, as well as the Malabo targets aiming to eliminate hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2025.
The report stated thus: “Despite efforts made in several countries, the African continent is not on track to meet the food security and nutrition targets of Sustainable Development Goal 2 on Zero Hunger for 2030, and certainly the Malabo targets of ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2025.”