The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has revealed a staggering rise in food insecurity in West Africa, with 50 million people now struggling to access nutritious food.
This marks a sharp increase of 35 million in just five years, according to FAO Country Representative, Kofi Dominic.
Dominic emphasized the urgent need for intervention, stating, “In 2020, there were 15 million people in food insecurity across West Africa. Today, that number has surged to 50 million despite all efforts in agriculture, livestock, and food distribution.”
He attributed the crisis to three major factors: conflict, climate change, and economic shocks, which have severely disrupted food production and supply chains across the region.
The envoy highlighted the devastating impact of floods in the region, noting that “Last year alone, 15 countries in West and Central Africa experienced devastating floods, affecting nearly seven million people. In Nigeria, floods destroyed 850,000 metric tons of food — enough to feed eight million people for six months”.
Dominic’s warnings are echoed by the World Food Programme (WFP), which reports that over 7 million people in the Lake Chad Basin are food insecure, with the crisis deepening and displacement on the rise.