Nigeria is facing a deepening hunger crisis, with over 30 million people projected to struggle with food insecurity next year, a 33% rise from this year’s levels, according to a new report by the Nigerian government and United Nations.
The report, released Friday, highlights the severe economic challenges in Africa’s most populous country, where inflation and a cost-of-living crisis led to deadly protests in August. President Bola Tinubu’s recent austerity measures, which include currency devaluation and the end of a decades-old petrol subsidy, have intensified these hardships, driving food prices even higher.
The bi-annual analysis, covering 26 states and the capital, predicts that by August 2024, 33.1 million Nigerians will face food insecurity, up from 24.8 million by the end of this year. “Economic hardship, combined with record-high inflation, soaring food prices, and rising transportation costs, are the main drivers of this crisis,” the report stated.
Chi Lael, spokesperson for the World Food Programme in Nigeria, noted that while the reforms are aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s economy in the long run, they have placed a heavy burden on households, particularly impacting the cost of food.
To support the most vulnerable, Finance Minister Wale Edun announced that the government has provided cash assistance to 5 million households, each receiving 25,000 naira ($15.45).
The crisis has been worsened by recent flooding and insecurity in northern agricultural regions, which further pressured food supply. Last month’s floods destroyed approximately 1.6 million hectares of crops in key agricultural areas, potentially causing a loss of 1.1 million tonnes of maize, sorghum, and rice—enough to feed about 13 million people for a year. This crop loss could translate into nearly $1 billion in economic damages, the report added.
