The United Nations predicts that nearly 50 million Africans will go hungry next year. That means the continent’s hunger crisis will affect over 300 million residents. It will also be the highest number of people entering this bracket in a single year.
“Insufficient funding means the moderately hungry will be forced to skip meals and consume less nutritious food, putting them at risk of falling back into crisis or emergency phases, perpetuating the cycle of hunger and malnutrition,” said Margot Vandervelden, the World Food Programme’s acting regional director for Western Africa. According to the institution, high food prices, climate change, and regional conflicts will trigger this crisis.
The Sahel region of Africa has been plagued by conflicts, displacing millions of people. And according to the WFP, there isn’t enough funding to resolve persistent issues. People can’t afford healthy food, and this affects women and children the most.
Armed insurgency groups have permeated throughout the region, and counterterrorism efforts have largely collapsed. Now, there’s a vacuum allowing terrorist organisations to thrive. Earlier this year, the Council on Foreign Relations said: “Violent extremist organisations have not only helped worsen humanitarian conditions, including by targeting humanitarian workers but have also exploited insecure conditions to recruit and control populations in the Sahel.” Agricultural productivity in Nigeria, Ethiopia and Sudan has been hanging in the balance because of these unrests.
Local conflicts aren’t the sole concern for the Sahel. When Russia invaded Ukraine, it disrupted global wheat supply chains and led to the cancellation of the Black Sea grain deal. This prevented tons of vital grain from reaching Africa. The UN purchased about 80% of its grain from Ukraine in the first six months of 2023 and donated it to regions needing it. The cancelled deal sent food costs soaring, and many staples became unaffordable. Most regions have not found paths to recovery.
Climate change has also become a more pressing concern for Africa. The continent bears the brunt of global emissions, and food production is where it hits the most. Yet there’s not enough urgency to shield Africa from this crisis. “The COP28 declaration dismally fails Africa,” Florian Kroll, an expert on food systems, wrote in The Conversation. At this year’s summit, leaders from Africa and the Middle East launched a $10 billion initiative to fund technological upgrades in agriculture and farming to help millions struggling with climate-induced food insecurity.
While some African leaders hailed the move, some experts argue that expanding conventional agriculture would worsen environmental damage and increase African greenhouse gas emissions. “Climate change will affect Africa more than other continents,” said Kroll with the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies. Aiming for more sustainable food systems is promising, “but unless the entire system of food production is changed, it will make little difference.”
However, agricultural productivity is not the only threat. There’s also an industrial drought in many regions. Several businesses, including multinationals, have scaled back or shut down because of tough macroeconomic conditions this year. That has a multifaceted impact on inflation and unemployment.
Africa’s problem is not hunger but productivity. The former is a symptom. So, there’s a huge opportunity for businesses that want to help Africans become more productive.