Ghana Ranked 9th in West and Central Africa for Acute Food Insecurity.
The latest Food Security Update by the World Bank has revealed that about 1.96 million Ghanaians are facing acute food and nutrition insecurity, representing 6.1% of the total population facing acute food insecurity in West and Central Africa. Ghana is ranked 9th in the region in terms of the population facing acute food and nutrition insecurity.
According to recent estimates by the Cadre Harmonisé, approximately 34.7 million people (7.8% of the total population) in West and Central Africa were facing acute food and nutrition insecurity as of November 2023. The breakdown of the 10 most-affected countries according to the share of the population shows that Sierra Leone, Chad, and Cameroon are the top three, with Ghana ranking 9th.
The report also highlighted that the food and nutrition insecurity situation is expected to worsen in the upcoming lean season (June–August 2024). The Cadre Harmonisé projections indicate that approximately 47 million people (10.5% of the total population) will experience acute food and nutrition insecurity (IPC Phase 3-5) over this period.
In addition, the report noted that in the first week of February, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger publicly announced their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which could potentially affect intraregional trade and commerce, although the consequences are currently unclear.