Food scarcity is not a new problem for Africa. But in 2023, over 140 million people are experiencing acute food scarcity, according to a 2022 report.

This newly heightened situation is the result of several external shocks - the impact of Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine on supply chains -- which have exacerbated long-running food shortages. Plus, major weather events caused by the rapid pace of climate change have impacted several countries' ability to provide enough food to meet demand, says Cheryl Buss, CEO, Absa International.

The need for a long-term solution - which ultimately ends Africa's dependence on imports and utilises the continent's untapped agricultural potential - has never been so pressing.

2023's food scarcity crisis 

Many countries across Africa are facing their worst food crisis in 40 years. 

This state of emergency has been caused by back-to-back crises that much of the continent, including Sub-Saharan Africa, the Horn of Africa, and specific countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Somalia, have found it impossible to recover from. 

In Somalia specifically, seven million people are actively on the brink of famine. The IPC predicts that parts will reach famine levels by March and April 2023. 

Africa's decades-long reliance on imports is part of the problem. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has interrupted essential supply chains for some time. Countries that depend on Russia for wheat, sunflower oil, fertiliser, and other essential products have seen prices rise higher than ordinary people can afford. 

This latest emergency has only heightened shortages experienced following Covid-19. According to a UN report, 46 million people experienced hunger in the aftermath of the pandemic. On top of this, climate change is causing dramatic droughts and devastating floods, damaging Africa's crops and farmland just when they're needed most. 

In parts of West Africa, flooding has damaged 1 million hectares of farmland after the area experienced its most intense rainfall in 30 years. East Africa has missed four consecutive rainy seasons. Countries in the Horn of Africa have been hit hardest by these year-on-year droughts. 

Africa's agricultural potential 

The first step towards addressing Africa's food scarcity emergency is to align resources in the continent and promote a concerted effort to the cause. A crisis this scale needs collaboration across the board from governments, humanitarian partners, and donors to focus on mid and long-term support.

However, ongoing climate change means that food insecurity in Africa won't be resolved once the continent has recovered from the impact of recent shocks. The continent needs to be able to stop relying on imports and tap into its own agricultural potential. 

In a recent analysis, McKinsey found that Sub-Saharan Africa could produce two to three times more cereals and grains than it currently does, and could see similar increases in the production of horticulture crops and livestock. To access this potential, it would need eight times more fertiliser, six times more improved seed, at least $8 billion invested in basic storage, and $65 billion in irrigation. 

Beyond this, further investment will be needed in basic infrastructure - roads, ports, and electricity. Policies and regional trade flows could be bettered too, in order to improve the quality of intra-Africa trade. To help ensure food produced inside the continent survives the worsening impact of climate change, there will also need to be investment in biotechnology for climate-adapted crop varieties and crop diversification.

Moreover, the importance of the public sector in achieving this cannot be understated. Across the continent, public sectors are launching a huge number of projects in Africa's worst-hit areas in an attempt to adapt its food system. Just one example is a project in South Sudan that is supplying training for farmers to help them efficiently manage their organisations, adopt new technology, and use climate smart agriculture practices to boost their yields.

Since most of Sub-Saharan Africa is made up of small-scale partners, bridging the education gap between the organisations that supply climate tech and adapted crops is incredibly important. 

This, coupled with private sector funding, will help to close the food scarcity gap. According to a recent report by Imperial College, private investors will be crucial in mobilising additional funding for nature investment in the agriculture sector and creating more resilient agri-food systems. One way to do this is by making investment repayable through revenues or cost reductions.

More importantly, it's essential that enough information is being made available through correct impact measurements as this will help to reduce greenwashing.

Overall, with ESG and impact investment becoming more and more popular over the last few years, savvy investors will be looking to back companies and organisations that are genuinely making a difference to the environment and people's lives.

By Cheryl Buss, CEO, Absa International.