UN agencies say about 55 million people face hunger in West and Central Africa

UN partners have been called upon to act immediately, as agencies such as the WFP, FAO, and UNICEF warned that nearly 55 million people will suffer hunger and starvation in West and Central Africa. The agencies cited inflation and stagnant local production as the primary causes of the crisis…

The United Nations humanitarian agencies have warned that soaring prices have exacerbated a food crisis in West and Central Africa, where over 55 million people may struggle to feed themselves in the coming months.

They disclosed that the number of people experiencing hunger during the June-August lean season has quadrupled in the last five years, citing economic issues such as double-digit inflation and stagnant local production as primary causes of the crisis, in addition to recurring hostilities in the region.

A joint statement from the World Food Programme, WFP, UNICEF, and the Food and Agriculture Organization, indicated that Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Mali are among the worst-affected countries, with an estimated 2,600 people in northern areas facing catastrophic famine.

Margot Vandervelden, WFP’s acting regional director for West Africa, stated, called for immediate action while calling on all “partners to step up… to prevent the situation from getting out of control.”

Malnutrition is deeply high as a result of food shortages, according to the agencies, with an estimated 16.7 million children under the age of five acutely malnourished across West and Central Africa.

The region’s reliance on food imports has exacerbated the pressure, particularly in nations with high inflation such as Ghana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.