While inflation troubles the United States and economies around the world, the rising cost of food and essential commodities is having a deadly effect across Africa.
The challenge on the African continent is not just about the rising cost of living but of food scarcity linked to adverse climate conditions such as drought and desertification. That’s compounded by insecurity caused by religious extremism and banditry that have killed or driven farmers from their lands, leading to low agricultural productivity.
The situation is further worsened by the combined effects of the COVID pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine that have increased the price of staples such as wheat, bread and gasoline. For these and other essentials, some African countries are import dependent, meaning there are no reliable supplies of certain goods apart from exports. This reality has been compounded by the unreliability of electrical service in some place,…
