Food and Agriculture Organisation, FAO, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF, and World Food Programme, WFP, have claimed that currency devaluations, soaring inflations, stagnating production, and trade barriers have worsened the food crisis in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Mali. 

According to a joint statement, referring to the March 2024 Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis released by the Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel, CILSS, FAO, UNICEF, and WFP pointed out that nearly 55 million people in West and Central Africa will struggle to feed themselves in the June-August 2024 lean season. 

The statement reads, “This figure represents a four-million increase in the number of people who are food-insecure compared to the November 2023 forecast and highlights a fourfold increase over the last five years. 

“The situation is particularly worrying in conflict-affected northern Mali, where an estimated 2,600 people are likely to experience catastrophic hunger (IPC/CH phase 5). 

“The latest data also reveals a significant shift in the factors driving food insecurity in the region, beyond recurring conflicts.