West Africa’s Hunger Crisis Intensifies as Food Prices Surge Amid Climate and Conflict Pressures

West Africa faces a deepening hunger catastrophe as skyrocketing food prices, fueled by climate shocks and regional conflicts, push millions toward severe food insecurity.

According to the World Bank’s February 2025 Food Security Report, up to 50 million people across West and Central Africa—including Ghana—could struggle to feed themselves during the upcoming lean season, as dwindling supplies and unaffordable staples exacerbate the region’s vulnerabilities.

The crisis is quantified by stark figures: agricultural and export prices have climbed by 3% and 6%, respectively, since late 2024, while maize prices hit a 15-month high due to constrained availability. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) notes similar trends, with grain prices across the Sahel and Gulf of Guinea eclipsing last year’s levels. In Mali, wholesale sorghum costs rose by 10–25% year-on-year by January 2025, while millet surged up to 45%. Burkina Faso saw even steeper hikes, with sorghum and millet prices jumping by 55% in some markets—a crushing blow for households already spending most of their income on food.

Behind these numbers lies a tangle of systemic challenges. Conflict-ridden supply routes have inflated transportation costs, disrupting traditional market flows. Meanwhile, erratic rainfall and poor harvests in 2024, linked to climate change, have slashed cereal production. “When farms fail and trucks can’t reach markets, families pay the price twice over,” said Accra-based agricultural economist Dr. Fatima Mensah. “This isn’t just a food crisis—it’s a failure of resilience.”

Globally, the outlook offers little respite. A record 281 million people experienced acute food insecurity in 2023, yet humanitarian funding for food programs plummeted by 30% compared to 2022, despite a 56% rise in aid needs since 2016. This decline underscores a perilous paradox: as crises multiply, donor attention wanes. Compounding the issue, the World Bank’s January 2025 Global Economic Prospects report projects sluggish global growth of 2.7% through 2026—a rate insufficient to curb poverty or reverse hunger trends in fragile economies.

Analysts warn that West Africa’s plight reflects broader neglect of structural inequities. Climate adaptation efforts remain chronically underfunded, while regional conflicts, such as jihadist insurgencies in the Sahel, divert resources from development to defense. The drop in food aid coincides with rising geopolitical tensions, leaving nations like Mali and Burkina Faso in a precarious limbo.

For Ghana, where stable governance contrasts with regional turmoil, the crisis tests its role as a regional leader. While the government has expanded social safety nets, experts argue more aggressive policies—like tariff reductions on imports or subsidies for drought-resistant crops—are needed to shield vulnerable populations.

As prices climb and aid dwindles, the international community faces a reckoning. Without urgent investment in climate-smart agriculture and conflict resolution, West Africa’s food crisis risks spiraling into a generational disaster. The World Bank’s warnings are clear: inaction today guarantees greater suffering tomorrow.