World Bank has said some areas in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad, Niger and Cameroon would face food security due to persistent insecurity, armed conflict and deteriorating livelihoods.
Areas affected in Nigeria, according to the report, include Adamawa, Borno, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara states.The World Bank stated this in its latest Food Security Update Report released yesterday, which projected food price inflation to remain high globally across low, middle, and high-income nations.
The report projected that most areas in West and Central Africa will remain minimally food insecure until May 2024, with some documents stated that limited household food stocks and inaccessible areas in northeastern Nigerian states (Abadam, Bama, Guzamala, Marte), as well as the limited access to markets and humanitarian aid in some areas in Burkina Faso, have led to emergency food security levels.
According to it, food security levels might extend to Séno Province in Burkina Faso in February. The report also noted that there is still a risk of famine in Djibo Commune in Burkina Faso, which has been under blockade by non-state armed groups for almost two years.
The World Bank report cited the latest Cadre Harmonisé analyses, which revealed that approximately 31.7 million people required immediate food and nutrition assistance between October and December 2023.
The World Bank report warned that without appropriate countermeasures, this could increase to 44.5 million during the lean season between June and August 2024. The report further noted that an additional 85.6 million people are at risk of falling into a food crisis over the same period.
The World Bank said through one of its interventions, the West Africa Food Systems Resilience Programme, it has budgeted $766 million to improve preparedness against food insecurity, while enhancing the resilience of food systems in the region. The World Bank said it is also preparing an extra commitment of $345 million for Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
