Starvation has intensified in Africa due to global inflation

Johannesburg/London: Before the Coronavirus crisis, eighty million people in sub-Saharan African countries did not have enough food. But the global inflation caused by the Coronavirus outbreak and the fuel shortage and food crisis caused by the Ukraine conflict have taken a significant toll on sub-Saharan African countries. More than 120 million people here are facing a dire hunger crisis, warned senior officials of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). These officials have expressed a concern that this situation in these African countries, which are entangled in a debt trap, will intensify in the coming times.

A few hours ago, the IMF released its ‘Regional Economic Outlook’ report for Africa. The report expressed grave concern about the situation in the ‘sub-Saharan’ countries south of the Sahara Desert. The IMF has said in its report that these African countries are on the verge of collapse. Abebe Selassie, head of IMF’s Africa Department, cited the hunger crisis facing these African countries.

African countries borrowed from the IMF already faced food shortages even before the Coronavirus crisis. Nearly eighty million people in these countries were not getting enough food. But four major factors have worsened the hunger crisis in these sub-Saharan African countries. Abebe pointed out that the outbreak of Coronavirus, the conflict in Ukraine, the drought in the Horn of Africa countries for the last four years, the instability and insecurity in the countries in this region and the environmental disaster in the Angola-Madagascar countries have escalated the problem of hunger in the sub-Saharan countries to frightening levels.

Abebe warned that given this, 12% of the total population of sub-Saharan countries, i.e., more than 123 million people, are facing the hunger crisis. Therefore, Abebe claimed that the number of people suffering from hunger in these African countries has increased by 50% after Corona. Abebe pointed out that the hunger crisis is intensifying in the countries of Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, DR Congo, South Sudan in sub-Saharan Africa. Among these, Abebe warned that Somalia would face a severe famine.

Since 2020, fuel and fertilizer prices have tripled worldwide and African countries are being hit hard. Abebe also mentioned that there is a big challenge in front of the Central Banks of these African countries to increase the interest rates due to Corona, the Ukraine conflict, and increased inflation due to fuel scarcity. Countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Malawi and Zimbabwe will have to hike interest rates. Abebe pointed out that if this is done, inflation will flare up in these countries and the hunger crisis will intensify.