The number of hungry people in West and Central Africa could reach a record high of 48 million next year, which should serve as a final 鈥渨ake-up call鈥� for regional governments to act now, three UN agencies said on Thursday.听
More than 35 million people, including 6.7 million children, are currently unable to meet their basic food and nutrition needs, according to latest analysis from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Children鈥檚 Fund (), and the World Food Programme (WFP).听
Numbers could rise unless urgent and long-lasting solutions to address the crisis are not delivered soon, they warned.听
Edging towards catastrophe听
The situation is particularly worrying in the Liptako-Gourma tri-border region between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, where 25,500 people will experience catastrophic hunger during the June-August lean season next year.听
鈥淭he food and nutrition security outlook for 2023 is extremely worrying and this should be听the last wake-up call听for governments of the region and their partners,鈥澨鼵hris Nikoi,听鈥檚 Regional Director for Western Africa Region.听
鈥淪trengthening the resilience of communities has to become听a singular and collective focus听for us all if we are to pull this situation back from the precipice before it is too late,鈥� he added.听
Food insecurity spreading听
The UN agencies have urged governments across the region to ramp up support and investments in food security and nutrition programmes.听
Despite factors such as good harvest prospects and favourable local cereal production estimates, food insecurity and malnutrition persist and are spreading from the Sahel towards coastal countries.听
The crisis is driven by persistent insecurity, climate shocks, high food prices, the economic fallout from the听COVID-19pandemic, and the impact of the war in Ukraine.听
Across Benin, C么te d鈥橧voire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Togo, the analysis reveals a 20 percent increase in food insecurity in the last quarter of the year compared to the same period in 2021. 听
The vast Sahel region stretching west to east across the continent, is 鈥渢eetering on the brink of full-blown catastrophe鈥�, according to Robert Guei,听鈥檚 Sub-regional Coordinator for West Africa. 听In most countries, food availability is declining and fertilizer prices are rising. 听
鈥淭his could have a negative impact on harvests next year and听worsen an already-grave situation听for many rural communities,鈥� he said, adding 鈥渨e must act now to shore-up rural livelihoods before it is too late.鈥澨�
Concern for children听
The UN partners added that acute malnutrition in children under five is a concern, particularly in Sahel countries and in Nigeria. 听Rates are exceeding the 15 per cent emergency threshold in some areas in Senegal, Mauritania, northeastern Nigeria and Niger.听
The global acute malnutrition rate also exceeds 10 per cent in many areas around the Lake Chad Basin, encompassing Niger, Nigeria and Chad, as well as the border areas between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. 听
Factors such as conflict, displacement, limited access to healthcare and other basic services, are among the underlying causes of acute malnutrition in under-fives, pregnant women and nursing mothers across the region.听
Robust approach听
Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa, reported that latest data indicates continuing unacceptably high levels of severe wasting for children in many countries.听
鈥淲e need to scale up treatment and put much more attention on preventing child malnutrition through a multi-sectoral approach to reach every child,鈥� she said.听
The UN agencies and their partners are committed to addressing this unprecedented food and nutrition crisis through what they called 鈥渁 robust food systems approach鈥�.听
This involves multiple and integrated programmes that provide food, nutrition, health, water, hygiene, and sanitation response, targeting children, women and other vulnerable groups.听
They will reinforce and expand ongoing support to national social protection systems that are responsive to shocks and sensitive to nutrition for pregnant women, nursing mothers, young children and adolescents. 听
Building on existing systems at local, national and regional levels, the agencies will also scale up their medium to longer term solutions aimed at reinforcing resilience of crisis-affected communities, while supporting peacebuilding and peaceful coexistence.听
