KEY POINTS
- Over 2.8 billion people worldwide could not afford a healthy diet.
- Climate change poses a growing threat to food production and livelihoods.
- Nigeria leads cassava, yam, and rice production in Africa despite challenges.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 1.8 million Nigerians are currently at high risk of hunger, said Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Nigeria’s minister of state for agriculture and food security, during a World Food Day press briefing in Abuja.
Nigeria’s hunger crisis affects millions, government pledges solutions
Abdullahi highlighted that 733 million people globally faced hunger in 2023, emphasizing the federal government’s commitment to addressing food insecurity. He cited the FAO’s “State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World” report, noting that one in 11 people worldwide and one in five Africans were affected by hunger last year.
He also pointed out that 2.8 billion people globally could not afford a healthy diet in 2022, and 2.33 billion experienced moderate to severe food insecurity in 2023. The FAO warned that by 2030, about 582 million people could be chronically undernourished, with half of them in Africa.
Abdullahi stressed that the right to food, recognized as a fundamental human right in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is also protected by regional treaties and national constitutions. “The right to food safeguards people’s capacity to feed themselves with dignity, ensuring food is accessible and meets nutritional needs,” he said.
Climate change and insecurity worsen food insecurity globally and in Nigeria
He noted that global food insecurity is worsened by conflicts, displacement, economic shocks, and inflation. Additionally, the impacts of climate change, including droughts, floods, heat waves, and desertification, are disproportionately affecting developing nations’ food production and agricultural livelihoods.
According to a report by Business Day, Abdullahi stated that the government is implementing economic reforms to boost productivity, create jobs, and lower the cost of living. He added that targeted humanitarian efforts and emergency responses are addressing the current food crisis.
He also highlighted Nigeria’s agricultural achievements, including leading the world in cassava and yam production in 2017 and becoming Africa’s largest rice producer in 2019. Abdullahi emphasized that the government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, is prioritizing food security and sustainable agriculture.
