Abstract
The recently published 2026 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) reported a third consecutive annual decline in global hunger, affecting 645 million people worldwide. Africa has become the epicentre of global hunger, with more than half the continent facing moderate or severe food insecurity, and nearly two-thirds unable to afford a healthy diet. While hunger has stabilised for the first time since 2017, “this is not yet a decisive reversal”. Without a reversal, Africa could account for more than half of the
world’s hungry by 2030.
Africa’s food security paradox is stark. While the continent bears the world’s heaviest burden of hunger and unaffordable healthy diets, it possesses vast agricultural potential, rich biodiversity, and the world’s youngest population. This contradiction reflects a deeper systemic failure: Africa’s food crisis is no longer driven by insufficient production but by food systems that cannot deliver affordable, nutritious, climate-resilient diets. Improvements in calorie availability are not translating into better diet quality because access, pricing, and distribution remain weak. This confirms that food systems have become central determinants of population health.
