UN: Almost 55 million at risk of hunger in West, Central Africa

Nearly 55 million people in West and Central Africa are expected to face food insecurity in the upcoming months due to soaring prices, according to United Nations agencies, Al Jazeera reported.

The World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) issued a joint statement on Friday warning that the number of people at risk of hunger during the June-August lean season has quadrupled over the last five years.

Economic challenges such as double-digit inflation and stagnant local production have been identified as major drivers of the crisis, alongside recurrent conflicts in the region.

Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Mali are projected to be among the worst affected countries.

According to UN, some 16.7 million children under the age of five are acutely malnourished and more than two out of three households are unable to afford healthy diets.