ONE Campaign, a global organisation campaigning to end extreme poverty and preventable disease by 2030, has called on the government, donors and investors to make African agricultural productivity a priority to ensure food security on the continent.
The 2021 Global Report on Food Crises estimated that about 155 million people are living in severe hunger globally.
It noted that about 63 per cent of this chunk live in Africa, with Central and Southern Africa accounting for 40.4 million.
Edwin Ikhuoria, Africa Executive Director at the ONE Campaign, said the COVID-19 outbreak, the war between Ukraine and Russia, and global warming have led to loss of jobs and an increase in the number of hungry people on the African continent.
“More than twice the population of the United States in Africa go to bed hungry on a regular basis even before the COVID-19 outbreak; this is not a new problem,” Mr Ikhuoria said in a statement.
“As the virus spread, Africa’s already-tight economy crumbled under the strain, resulting in the loss of thousands of jobs and a consequent rise in the number of hungry people. As a result of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and global warming, food supply, demand, and prices are all in flux. Africa is still grappling with the aftershocks of the pandemic, but self-sufficiency in food production is more crucial than ever for the continent.”
He called on governments, donors, private businesses, and investors to prioritise agricultural productivity in Africa. This, he said, will lead to food self sufficiency for the continent, saying “self sufficiency is the only solution for a continent in crisis”.
He noted that while some countries are taking steps towards self-sufficiency, it could be counterproductive if the environment is not suitable for small-scale producers.
Mr Ikhuoria, therefore, advocated the provision of technologies, finances and land for farmers.
He said: “Ethiopia stands out in their journey to becoming self-reliant. With the support of the African Development Bank’s Agricultural Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation Programme, Ethiopia will not import grain in 2022. This should be the trajectory for all African states.
