The Ukraine war left millions of Africans food insecure, and a bigger crisis looms

On 24 February, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine at a time when the global economy was recovering from massive job loss, a rise in poverty, and food insecurity. The invasion disrupted the import of Russian and Ukrainian commodities. African countries have had to bear a part of this negative effect as most of them depend on Russia and Ukraine for wheat, mustard oil, and sugar imports. To prevent future exposure, there is an urgent need for African countries to develop stronger trade mechanisms to mitigate the aftershocks of conflict of this magnitude.

In Africa, over 340 million people currently face food insecurity due to the impact of the war in Ukraine. This figure is 17% higher than in 2021. The continent’s over-reliance on Ukraine and Russia for food importation means that the food crisis will get worse. A rewarding solution would be for African nations to prioritise food sovereignty to curb the looming food crisis….

To read more, check full article on News24.

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