Over 34m citizens hungry, require urgent help, says ECOWAS

Fears 47m may face food crisis by June

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has predicted that about 47 million citizens in the region will face food crisis between June and August, if immediate steps are not taken to strengthen its emergency response mechanisms and consolidate sustainable resilience strategies.

The Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture of the bloc, Mrs Massandjé Toure-Litse, speaking yesterday at the opening of the third meeting of the Management Committee of the Regional Food Security Reserve (RFSR), noted that about 34.7 million people needed immediate food and nutrition assistance.

Toure-Litse expressed fears that food and nutrition security situation in West Africa and the Sahel had deteriorated considerably in recent years. Represented by the acting Executive Director, Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food, Mr Mohammed Zongo, the commissioner explained that the nutritional crisis had persisted in several areas of the region with acute malnutrition rates ranging between 10 and 14 per cent.

“Analyses carried out in December 2024, based on the Harmonised Framework, revealed that nearly 34.7 million people required immediate food and nutrition assistance. If appropriate measures are not taken, this figure could reach 47 million by the lean season between June and August.

“Faced with this worrying situation, aggravated by multiple challenges – geo-political reconfiguration of the region, persistent conflicts, economic crises, climate change and chronic food insecurity, it is imperative that our region strengthens its immediate response mechanisms while consolidating the foundations of sustainable resilience.”

According to her, food security stocks remained the key social protection tool used at local, national and regional levels to respond effectively to food crises.

She explained that the meeting would serve to take stock of the operations carried out by the regional reserve since March 2023 based on the guidelines of the executive board, particularly with regard to purchases, interventions, stock replenishment, technical rotations and the identification of new storage spaces.

In his remarks, Nigeria’s Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, said the food challenge was a reminder of the urgent need to strengthen strategies and response instruments to effectively deal with the crisis.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Marcus Ogunbiyi, the minister described the food reserve as an essential pillar of the region’s collective strategy for responding to food and nutrition crisis.

The minister noted that the challenges confronting the region spoke volume of the need for sovereign financing of agriculture. The Regional Food Security Reserve was established in 2013 by the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government to support Chad and Mauritania in managing food crises.