Borno, Adamawa, Others Face The Risk Of Severe Food Crisis, Says World Bank

By Clement Alphonsus

The World Bank has disclosed that seven states across the North-west and North-east regions of the country may suffer food crises due to high levels of insecurity and armed conflicts that has reduced the standards of living across the region.

It was also disclosed by the bank in its latest Food Security report that most areas in West and Central Africa would remain Minimally food insecure until May 2024.

The states listed by the bank are Borno, Adamawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Yobe, Sokoto, and Zamfara states.

“It is projected that most areas in West and Central Africa will remain minimally food insecure until May 2024, with some being categorised as Stressed IPC 2. Nigeria (far north of Adamawa, Borno, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Yobe, Zamfara states) will be at crisis food security levels, mostly because of persistent insecurity and armed conflict and deteriorating livelihoods," it said.

The report also explained the precarious situation many states in Nigeria find themselves in as food prices scale the roofs. The latest CPI report from the National Bureau of Statistics shows food inflation at over 33 per cent.

In October, the Food and Agricultural Organisation projected that around 5 million Nigerians are at risk of hunger in 2024.

In the report, it further stated that other countries in the West African region such as Burkina Faso, Chad, and Niger will experience varying degrees of food insecurity.

It said areas in Northeastern states such Abadam, Bama, Guzamala, Marte etc would experience emergency food security levels due to limited household food stock and access to market and humanitarian aid.

The report further indicated that over 63.2 per cent of low-income countries has experienced inflation levels surpassing 5 per cent, marking a 1.3 per cent point increase compared to the previous food update on January 17, 2023.

Similarly, the World Bank said in high-income countries, over 44.4 per cent reported food inflation levels surpassing 5 per cent, marking a 1.9 per cent decrease compared to the previous food update.

The report also disclosed that in real terms, food price inflation outpaced overall inflation in 71 per cent of the 165 countries where data was available.

In its Africa Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition, the United Nations stated that since the onset of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 78 per cent of Africans have been unable to afford a nutritious diet.

In July, President Bola Tinubu announced an emergency on food insecurity in the country and moved the item to the National Security Council. The move, however, has resulted in little or no impact as food prices continue to surge.

Also, on Monday, a protest broke out in Niger state over increasing prices of food and hunger across the state.