64.3 million Nigerians lack adequate food, says the UN
According to the World Food Programme, a part of the United Nations, 32% (64.3 million) of Nigerians do not have access to enough food to eat.
In 19 different countries, the organization estimates that 170 million people lack access to enough food to eat. The countries with the highest prevalence of inadequate food consumption, according to a March 28 update of the “HungerMapLIVE: Western Africa insights and key trends,” are Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Chad, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Liberia, Central African Republic, Togo, Guinea Bissau, and Nigeria.
The World Bank said that over the past three months, food inadequacy in Nigeria increased from 29% to 32% in its most recent Food Security Update. It was noted that a significant portion of the populace of Nigeria and other West African nations have difficult food and nutrition conditions.
The bank cited the WFP when it stated that the four nations with the highest frequency of inadequate food consumption were Niger (18.2 million people, or 81 per cent of the population), Mali (13.9 million, or 73 per cent), Burkina Faso (13 million, or 66 per cent), and Guinea (7.7 million, 62 per cent).
“Chad (9.2 million, 57 per cent), Sierra Leone (4.4 million, 53 per cent), Cameroon (10.2 million, 40 per cent), Liberia (1.7 million, 38 per cent), Central African Republic (1.6 million, 35 per cent), Togo (2.7 million, 34 per cent), Guinea-Bissau (0.6 million, 34 per cent), and Nigeria (64.7 million, 32 per cent).”
Insufficient food intake was described by the World Bank as poor or borderline food consumption as indicated by the Food Consumption Score. It was clarified that this was distinct from food insecurity.
The Washington-based bank predicts that if the dry season continues in the next months, West Africa’s condition regarding food security will deteriorate. It was noted that while domestic food price inflation is still substantial, it is more severe in Africa, North America, Latin America, South Asia, Europe, and Central Asia.
