ACCOMPLISH MAGAZINE APRIL 2024

FEATURE / ANALYSIS
food and nutrition security in the
Sahel and West Africa. This analysis
revealed that approximately 12.9
million people across 21 states in
Nigeria, including the seven states
above, were grappling with acute
food insecurity from October to
December 2021. This marked a
staggering 77% increase compared
to 2020, when 7.3 million individuals
faced high levels of acute food
insecurity. These stark realities have
led to these states being classified
in IPC Phase 3 or above, indicative
of severe food insecurity reaching
crisis, emergency, or famine levels.
In the past four years, Nigeria's food
security landscape has been further
destabilised by soaring food prices
and inflation, significantly eroding
the purchasing power of countless
households. The latest Consumer
Price Index (CPI) report from the
National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)
revealed that food inflation has
surged to over 33%, the highest
in approximately two decades.
Moreover, since the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, an
• Farmers
alarming 78% of Africans have
found themselves unable to afford
a nutritious diet. Beyond the seven
mentioned states, the Food and
Agricultural Organisation (FAO)
has warned that around 5 million
Nigerians will remain at risk of
hunger in 2024.
Despite governmental efforts
to address the crisis, including
President Tinubu's declaration of
a food insecurity emergency last
July, tangible outcomes still need
to be seen. Recent events, such as
the revolt in Niger State triggered by
soaring food prices and starvation,
underscore the urgency of the
situation.
President Bola Tinubu has
temporarily alleviated the crisis
by authorising the release of over
102,000 metric tons of various grains
from the National Food Reserve
and the Rice Millers Association of
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