Browsing: food insecurity in Africa

OCP Group

Fertilizer giant OCP Group and IFC sign $108M deal to tackle Morocco’s water crisis

Sustainability
  • IFC is disbursing a $108 million loan to fertilizer maker OCP Group aimed at funding a 219Km long water distribution project in Morocco.
  • This financing will help sustain OCP Group’s phosphate plant and provide water to farmers, households, and businesses in the country.
  • The new pipeline is expected to be powered entirely by renewable energy by 2030.

A new initiative seeks to lessen the biting water crisis in Morocco while at the same time enhancing plans to tackle food insecurity in Africa. The World Bank’s private lending arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) is disbursing $108 million loan to the OCP Group to transform water management in Morocco and enhance food security projects in the country.

The OCP Group is a pioneer in plant nutrition and the production and usage of phosphate-based fertilizers.

According to an update from the IFC, the partnership will seek to address two of the most …

African food systems

Reshaping the future of sustainable food systems in Africa

Industry and Trade
  • The urgency to transform African food systems is not solely an agricultural or economic imperative but a moral, social, and ecological one.
  • Africa is confronted with a heavy crisis of malnutrition, poverty, inequality, and unemployment. Food affordability and access are unevenly distributed, and gaps widen even further.
  • Improving the performance of the food system is critical if we are to sustainably feed nearly 10 billion people by 2050 while raising farmer incomes, protecting them from climate change, and helping them to thrive.

Africa, a continent of great potential, stands at a crossroads. Africa has most of the world’s most fertile lands, immense resources, and a growing young population. However, it remains paradoxically entangled in the danger of food insecurity and malnutrition.

Challenges such as climate change, post-harvest losses, poor farming technologies, and inadequate supply chains persist. The urgency to change African food systems is not solely an agricultural or economic …

food waste in Africa

UNEP report sounds the alarm on Africa’s growing food waste crisis

Countries
  • As millions of people in Africa go to bed hungry today, tonnes of food will end up in landfills, too.
  • A UN report identifies gaps in Africa’s retail and food service sectors, presenting a significant hurdle in fully understanding the scope of food wastage.
  • The UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 identifies critical areas where action is needed to address the challenge in Africa.

An estimated one billion meals go to waste every day in Africa and across the world, the UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 reveals. The report, which shows food waste continues to hurt the global economy, adds that 783 million people were affected by hunger. In contrast, a third of the worldwide population suffered food insecurity in 2022.

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Africa's cold storage industry hotbeds

Riding the cold wave: Africa’s cold chain market battles food insecurity

Investing
  • The Middle East and Africa cold chain market will expand by 7.4% to $35.1 Billion by 2028.
  • Over one third of food from Africa is lost to spoilage or wastage partly due to poor storage capacity.
  • Studies show that leading cause of food wastage is spoilage due to lack of cold storage systems.

The demand for cold storage supply chain products in Africa is rapidly growing. The segment has been tipped as critical in solving the food insecurity crisis ravaging the continent of 1. (Phentermine) 4 billion people. Rise of cold storage systems is also attributable to growing demand from consumers as Africa’s urbanization and modernization intensifies.

According to Market Data Forecast, the size of the Middle East and Africa (MEA) cold chain market will expand at a CAGR of 7.4 per cent to $35.1 billion by 2028 from 23.8B of 2022. The bellwether for this trajectory has

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Agri-tech is redefining agribusiness in Africa

Investing in agri-tech startups in Africa will power agriculture

Investing

Increased investments in agri-business will see Agriculture Technology (Agri-Tech) in Africa record massive growth. The food security crisis has ravaged many African countries. Consequently, the situation has attracted investor interest. This has instigated a digital revolution promoting the Agri-tech start-up ecosystem. Agri-tech startups remain instrumental in developing the agribusiness sector. The sector wields enormous economic potential for the continent.…

Africa remains heavily indebted and is striving to service her debts

Calming Africa’s Perfect Storm of Challenges

Industry and Trade

Africa has stumbled headlong into what has been called the ‘perfect storm’’. From the heavy burden of debt servicing, the instability created by election cycles, geopolitics and war as well as the lingering threat of food insecurity caused by conflict and adverse weather conditions. Seemingly, the proverbial pandora’s box of horrors has been let ajar and the evils through different manifestations are ravaging the continent from all corners. However, as the Greek myth holds, only one thing is said to have been left in the box after it was shut; hope. Amid all the daunting troubles Africa is facing, hope for a better and prosperous Africa is the fuel to help the continent weather these ominous challenges.

We explore some of these existential challenges and some plausible solutions thereof.

Political Instability in Africa

Africa is no stranger to political instability and civil unrest which has stagnated most economies and impeded…

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No brakes for the accelerating food insecurity in Africa. www.theexchange.africa

No brakes for the accelerating food insecurity in Africa

Industry and Trade
  • AfDB aims to assist 40 million farmers in raising their production of heat-resistant wheat varieties, soybeans, and rice, among other crops, to feed around 200 million people
  • In Africa, climate change threatens to eat into 15 per cent of Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030
  • Sanctions against Russia have dealt a blow to grain shipments at a period when universal stockpiles were already experiencing a stretch

War victims are sometimes found away from the battlefield. This is the case with Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. Even as the fighting there causes immeasurable destruction and suffering, it also threatens a silent crisis in Africa.

The conflict has sent the food prices in Africa over the roof, making life further complicated for the 283 million already threatened by hunger within the continent. The war in Ukraine has also laid bare Africa’s unending reliance on food imports. Wheat imports represent about 90 …