Nutrition

According to a special report put forth last week by FEWS Net, several areas of Nigeria likely experienced famine during 2016 and continue to face the threat of famine into 2017.

One area of particular concern is Bama Local Government Area (LGA), where the majority of the population is concentrated in Bama Town and Banki Town. FEWS Net reports that available evidence indicates that at least 2,000 people in these towns died from famine-related causes between January and September.

Reliable, timely data is crucial to fight hunger and malnutrition and to drive overall development in Africa south of the Sahara; however, significant research and data gaps exist, in terms of both the availability of information and the effective, transparent use of that information by policymakers. (For further discussion of existing research gaps, read about our side event at the recent 2016 ReSAKSS Conference). Improving food security information (FSI) is therefore a development goal that goes hand-in-hand with eradicating hunger.

As many as four million people in northeast Nigeria currently need emergency food aid due to ongoing conflict and significant depreciation of the Naira, according to FEWS Net’s latest coverage on the region. Large segments of the population in the northeastern part of the country are in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) acute food insecurity, with limited data suggesting some populations could even be facing possible Famine (IPC Phase 5) food insecurity.

When it comes to policymaking, sound information is key. This is especially true for agriculture and food policies in Africa south of the Sahara, where hunger levels remain the highest in the world (2016 Global Hunger Index) and where agriculture accounts for a significant portion of GDP (17.1 percent in 2014; World Bank).

ReSAKSS:  Achieving a Nutrition Revolution for Africa