An estimated 291 million people in Africa may be chronically undernourished by the year 2030, a report of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) conducted by five United Nations agencies has revealed.
The report conducted by FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO revealed that the African figure represents half of the 582 million people projected to risk chronic undernourishment globally by 2030.
According to the report, around 733 million people globally faced hunger in 2023.
This figure equates to one in eleven people worldwide, with Africa bearing a heavy burden as one in five people on the continent experienced hunger last year.
Launched during the G20 Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty Task Force Ministerial Meeting in Brazil, the SOFI report highlighted a troubling trend indicating that the world is significantly behind in achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 – Zero Hunger by 2030.
The report showed that despite some progress in areas such as exclusive breastfeeding, global hunger levels have risen for three consecutive years. Between 713 and 757 million people were undernourished in 2023, which is approximately 152 million more than in 2019.
In their foreword, the heads of the five UN agencies emphasised the urgency of mobilising innovative financing to bridge the gap in resources needed to end hunger and malnutrition.
They also called for coordinated global efforts to ensure food security and nutrition for current and future generations.
CREDIT: LEADERSHIP NEWS