More than 40 million people in West Africa - predominantly in the Sahel - and parts of Central Africa are struggling to feed themselves in the 2024 post-harvest season. This number of acutely food insecure people is expected to rise to 52.7 million by mid-2025, including 3.4 million people facing emergency levels of hunger (IPC Phase 4), according to a recent analysis by Cadre Harmonisé. In a joint statement on Friday, UN agencies called for scaled-up humanitarian action and durable solutions to hunger.
Despite a slight decrease in the number of acutely food-insecure people compared to last year - linked to improved security and above-average rainfall in some parts of the Sahel - overall food insecurity is deteriorating. The number of people facing emergency levels of hunger jumped by 70 percent during the post-harvest season and is projected to rise by 22 percent during the lean season from June to August 2025.
According to the Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis, the worst affected countries include Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad, which together account for well over half of the total food insecure people. While forcibly displaced people bear the brunt of the food crisis, the combined effects of conflict, climate shocks and high food prices continue to drive up hunger and malnutrition.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday that the situation underscores the urgent need for scaled-up humanitarian action and long-term solutions that effectively address the food crisis gripping the Sahel and Lake Chad region.
“The vicious cycle of hunger in West and Central Africa can be broken, but it requires a fundamental shift in our approach,” said Margot van der Velden, WFP’s Regional Director for Western Africa.
"We need timely, flexible, and predictable funding to reach crisis-affected people with lifesaving assistance, and massive investments in preparedness, anticipatory action and resilience-building to empower communities and reduce humanitarian needs."
The overall food security figures include Cadre Harmonisé data for West and Central Africa and IPC data for the Central African Republic. The figures do not cover the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where 25.6 million people remain at crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity.
Food insecurity in the West and Central Africa region is driven by conflict, displacement, economic instability and severe climatic shocks. More than 10 million people have been forcibly displaced in the region, with significant numbers affected in the Sahel or countries bordering the Sahel: Burkina Faso, Chad, Cameroon, Mauritania, Niger and Nigeria.
Forcibly displaced people are most often cut off from their fields and pastures, making it impossible to cultivate crops that are vital for food security. In addition, climate shocks - most notably this year's deadly floods that affected six million people - are claiming lives, destroying livelihoods and disrupting agricultural productivity.
“The continuing deterioration of food security and nutrition despite significant efforts by governments and partners, emphasizes the need for an urgent paradigm shift in response,” said Robert Guei, FAO Sub-regional Coordinator for West Africa.
“We need to strengthen and implement joint integrated resilience programs in the most affected countries and beyond. Additionally, we need to facilitate smallholder farmers' access to locally produced fertilizers to boost sustainable, affordable, and nutritious food production.”
High food prices and households' low purchasing power are exacerbating the crisis, making it impossible for many families to afford even basic, nutritious food. These economic problems are particularly severe in coastal countries such as Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, where the cost of living has skyrocketed.
The situation is having a significant impact on children's nutritional status. In 2024, an estimated 16.3 million children are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition, of which 5 million will be severely malnourished, requiring urgent medical intervention. Recent nutrition surveys in the Sahel also show a worsening situation in several regions.
"Good nutrition in the early years of life is the bedrock of child survival, development and a future healthy adult life. Every dollar invested in nutrition yields up to $16 in economic returns through improved health, enhanced education outcomes, and increased productivity throughout life," said Gilles Fagninou, UNICEF Regional Director.
“We must ensure a reliable and sufficient supply of therapeutic food to treat children under 5 in the region, while at the same time we seek to invest for the long-term to prevent malnutrition happening in the first place.”
FAO, UNICEF and WFP said that with sufficient and predictable funding, they will continue to work with national governments to scale up their ongoing efforts to alleviate hunger, build resilient communities, move towards sustainable food systems and lift people out of poverty through resilience-building programs.
According to the UN agencies, two key responses are to address the root causes of hunger as well as to build a more robust and resilient system that provides affordable, accessible and nutritious food to families and communities, and to create more opportunities for people and food systems to better prepare for and cope in the face of recurrent shocks and crises.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is an international organization that coordinates and promotes international efforts to combat hunger and improve food security and nutrition worldwide. The organization was established on 16 October 1945 and has 195 Member States. Headquartered in Rome, FAO works in more than 130 countries across the globe.
UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, is the United Nations agency responsible for providing humanitarian and development assistance to children worldwide. Founded in 1946 as the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, UNICEF is today one of the world's largest humanitarian organizations. UNICEF works in more than 190 countries and territories to safeguard the rights of children.
The World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian organization. More than 150 million people are estimated to have received assistance from the UN agency in 2023. Awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, WFP saves lives in emergencies and uses food aid to help people recover from conflicts, disasters and the effects of climate change. For millions of people throughout the world, WFP's assistance can mean the difference between life and death.
Further information
Website: Cadre Harmonisé
https://www.cadreharmonise.org/
Full text: West and Central Africa faces deepening food crisis - UN agencies call for enhanced humanitarian action and lasting hunger solutions, FAO, UNICEF, and WFP, press release, published December 20, 2024
https://www.wfp.org/news/west-and-central-africa-faces-deepening-food-crisis-un-agencies-call-enhanced-humanitarian