The latest report from the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and its partners says that around 16% of Nigerians will face severe food insecurity or hunger between June and August 2024.
The figure for 2024 is higher when compared to the report for 2023 and denotes the increasing spate of hunger and the worsening living conditions across not just Nigeria but West and Central Africa.
According to the report, the total number of people across West and Central Africa to face food insecurity during the period also referred to as the lean season stands at a staggering 52 million- about 12% of the analysed population.
For Nigeria, the report noted that around 32 million people will face severe hunger put at crisis level or emergency food insecurity.
Furthermore, the report noted that food insecurity would be more severe in the northern states of Sokoto and Zamfara where the IPC analysis described the situation as critical, with over 15% of children experiencing acute malnutrition.
The IRC attributed the cause of the severity of food insecurity across the Sahelian region to insecurity, climate change, and worsening macroeconomic conditions, especially on the inflationary front.
In January 2024, the average inflation rate in the region stood at 21%- an increase from 18% recorded in the same period of 2023. Worse still are countries like Sierra Leone which have seen inflation levels rise to 54%.
Earlier in the year, the World Bank, in its food security report for Nigeria, projected that seven states in the North will face severe food security problems with the spate of food inflation and insecurity across the food-producing states.
