By Aliu Akeem
Nigeria is facing a critical food crisis in 2024, with more than one million additional people grappling with severe food insecurity compared to the previous year. According to the World Bank’s Food Security Update Report, this growing crisis is driven by a combination of climate-related events, socio-political instability, and economic reforms, leaving many Nigerians vulnerable to hunger.
Key Factors Behind Nigeria’s Food Crisis
The recent World Bank report highlights that Nigeria, along with Ethiopia and Yemen, has seen a significant spike in the number of people experiencing food shortages. The report attributes Nigeria’s worsening food crisis to devastating floods and inflation, exacerbating an already fragile situation for low-income families.
Flooding has been a major driver of food insecurity in Nigeria, with over 1.6 million hectares of land inundated, including 342,650 hectares of cropland. This has directly impacted nearly 700,000 people who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. The floods, which began in July 2024, have severely disrupted food production, leading to widespread hunger, particularly in rural areas. At the same time, dry spells in northern regions have compounded the situation, leaving millions at risk.
Increased Food Prices Worsen Hunger
Another critical factor driving Nigeria’s food crisis is inflation. The price of basic food items has skyrocketed, with food inflation reaching 37.5% year-on-year by August 2024. For example, a kilogram of brown beans, a staple food for many Nigerian households, rose from N692.95 in August 2023 to an astonishing N2,574.63 by the same time in 2024. The soaring prices have made it increasingly difficult for low-income families to afford essential items such as bread, eggs, and vegetables, forcing many to reduce their daily meals.
Economic reforms introduced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, such as the removal of fuel subsidies, have added further pressure on household incomes. These reforms, while aimed at stabilizing the economy, have led to galloping inflation, which, combined with new movement restrictions after the closure of Nigeria’s border with Niger, has driven food prices even higher. This double blow has strained the ability of families to cope with the rising costs of living.
Impact on Vulnerable Populations
The situation has been particularly devastating for vulnerable groups such as children. Malnutrition rates have surged, with humanitarian organizations like Doctors Without Borders reporting that the number of malnutrition cases in Bauchi state more than doubled in 2024 compared to the previous year. As households cut back on food, malnutrition among children has worsened, contributing to a growing health crisis in the country.
Floods and droughts have affected over 3.5 million people across West and Central Africa, including Cameroon, Mali, and parts of Ghana. Nigeria, however, remains one of the hardest-hit nations, with both flooding and dry spells disrupting crop production and aggravating the food insecurity situation.
Urgent Call for Intervention
The World Bank and other humanitarian agencies have issued an urgent call for intervention to address the growing food crisis in Nigeria. It is estimated that $50 million will be required to support the 760,200 communities most affected by food shortages. Humanitarian groups, including the World Food Programme and UNICEF, are actively working to provide emergency food aid, but they face challenges in accessing affected regions due to poor infrastructure and security issues.
As of 2024, it is estimated that around 172 million Nigerians are unable to afford a healthy diet, according to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report. This alarming statistic underscores the scale of the crisis, as households continue to struggle to meet their basic nutritional needs.
