Author: Valentina Zicaro – Art in Tanzania intern
INTRODUCTION
While Africa is still reeling from the socioeconomic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict poses a new major threat to the global economy, with Africa being the primary country affected by this conflict because both Ukraine and Russia are major food importers for Africans, affecting East, West, Middle, and Southern Africa.
Wheat, oil, and sunflower oil are just a few of the products that have been imported, and their costs are currently rising due to the conflict in Ukraine; prices are rising, and there are also issues with the transportation system.
The conflict is significantly impacting Africa, not just in terms of food but also due to increasing concerns in global financial markets and supply chain networks. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to the AfDB, caused a 30 million-tonne food scarcity across the continent and a significant spike in price.
According to the World Food Program (WFP), “While this is partly due to the conflict in Ukraine, food, fuel, and fertilizer prices were already at unprecedented levels by the end of 2021.” The UN-negotiated “Black Sea Grain Initiative,” agreed in July 2022, has relieved some of the “fertilizer crunch” by allowing fertilizer supplies from Ukraine to the rest of the globe.
In Conclusion:
Each individual has the right to food under global and African human rights. To have and guarantee this vital right, international governments should develop programs and legislation to ensure that nations such as Africa can afford safe food, and in broad terms, greater attention should be directed to those countries that face the most significant challenges. The world’s leaders must act to assist and change the African situation since we can all make a difference and save millions of lives if we work together.
SOURCES:
https://www.nepad.org/microsite/impact-of-russia-ukraine-conflict-african-food-systems
https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/04/14/imf/world-bank-targeted-safety-net-programs-fall-short-rights-protection
https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/february-2023/one-year-later-impact-russian-conflict-ukraine-africa#:~:text=The%20WFP%20notes%20that%20%22while,of%20the%20%E2%80%9Cfertilizer%20crunch%E2%80%9D%20by
https://www.wfp.org/stories/wfp-glance