Approximately one billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2021
Photo: iStock In Africa, nearly 282 million people or about 20 per cent of the population were undernourished in 2022, according to a new report by United Nations agencies.
This represents more than 38 per cent of the estimated 735 million people that faced hunger globally that year, according to a report released by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), African Union Commission (AUC), UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and World Food Programme (WFP).
The United Nations joint report noted the continent was still reeling from the impacts of COVID-19 and the number of undernourished people has increased 57 million since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
The report Africa Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition, Statistics and Trends 2023 highlighted alarming prevalence and trends in undernourishment, food insecurity and malnutrition.
Eastern Africa, with 134.6 million, had the largest number of undernourished, compared to 62.8 million in Western Africa, 57 million in Central Africa, 19.5 million in Northern Africa and 7.6 million in Southern Africa, according to the report.
In Africa, about 868 million people were moderately or severely food-insecure and more than a third of them, 342 million people were severely food-insecure, the report said.
Central Africa recorded the highest prevalence of undernourishment increase of 4.3 percentage points, followed by Western Africa with 3.6 percentage points, Southern Africa with 2.8 percentage points and Eastern Africa and Northern Africa with 1.8 and 1.7 percentage points increase, respectively.
The report also revealed that more women were affected by moderate or severe food insecurity in 2022 than men in Africa, with a prevalence of 59.9 per cent and 58.7 per cent, respectively.
In addition to hunger, millions of Africans suffer from widespread micronutrient deficiencies.
The report found that the prevalence of stunting among children under five years of age was 30 per cent in 2022.
The prevalence of overweight among children under five years of age in southern Africa was much higher than the global estimate, and South Africa and Botswana had the highest prevalence in that sub-region.
In South Africa, half of all adults were either overweight (23 per cent) or obese (27 per cent).
The prevalence of anaemia among adult women remains high in Africa, above the global estimate and especially so in Western Africa and Central Africa.
The report also noted good news, stating that the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in Africa was high in Eastern Africa, with considerable progress made in Central Africa and Western Africa since 2012.
The report introduced estimates regarding the cost and affordibility of a nutritious diet. In 2021, a staggering 77.5 per cent of Africa's population, approximately one billion individuals, found themselves unable to afford a healthy diet, a sharp contrast to the global rate of 42 per cent.
The bulk of this population, nearly 70 pe rcent, resided in Eastern Africa and Western Africa, where 362 million and 350 million people, respectively, struggled to access a healthy diet in 2021.
In other sub-regions, the impact was relatively less pronounced, with 46 million in southern Africa, 128.5 million in northern Africa and 154.5 million in central Africa experiencing these challenges, even though they collectively accounted for more than half of the total population in their respective sub-regions.
Moreover, the report showed that the average cost of a healthy diet in Africa rose by 5.6 per cent from 2020-2021, surpassing the global increase of 4.3 per cent. This increase in costs affected all sub-regions except northern Africa.
Abebe Haile-Gabriel, FAO assistant director-general and regional representative for Africa, underscored the urgency of the situation, stating in the report’s joint foreword, “The deterioration of the food security situation and the lack of progress towards the WHO global nutrition targets make it imperative for countries to step up their efforts if they are to achieve a world without hunger and malnutrition by 2030.”
According to UN agencies, these findings from the report are poised to ignite a renewed commitment to transforming agrifood systems in Africa. The aim is to create more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems that benefit both people and the planet.
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