Etim Imisim
28 October 2009
Abuja — The 2009 Global Hunger Index says hunger poses a serious threat in Nigeria. Of the 84 developing countries captured in the study, Nigeria is 46th in position and 18th amongst 42 African countries. India comes between Guinea Bissau, Togo and Liberia.
The annual report is a joint publication of the Welt Hunger Hilfe in Bonn, Concern Worldwide in Dublin and International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Washington. Amongst other Africans, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Bamanga Tukur, African Business Roundtable president, are on the advisory board of IFPRI.
One highlight of the report is the role of the global financial and economic crises in putting countries at risk of hunger. In fact, it says ongoing global recession is both the cause and effect of hunger. It is caused by the disempowerment and marginalisation of the poorest of society. In turn, it worsens the desperation of the poor and hungry.
It is for this reason that gender inequality should be top amongst agenda to end hunger, the report says. High rates of hunger and gender inequality tend to go hand in hand, the report notes. Playing fields in areas of economic participation, education, political empowerment and health are usually uneven for women.
The 2009 index equally links the status of women to the level of nutrition children enjoy. In the case of Sub-Saharan Africa, it says the number of malnourished children would be reduced by 13.4 million where the status of women equal to that of men.
Also, falling investment in agriculture, where women dominate, could push 16 million more children into hunger and retard personal and global economic growth in the future. Because hunger will affect children's physical and mental growth, their ability to earn in the future is compromised today.
It notes further that the present recession affects developing countries more than in the past. This is because poor nations' economies are more closely tied to the global economy.
The ranking of countries is in five categories from low, moderate, serious, alarming and extremely alarming hunger. Worldwide, 24 countries are classified as low in severity of hunger; 31 as moderate; and 23 as serious, which is where Nigeria falls.
All six countries in the extremely alarming category - the top of scale of global hunger - are in Sub-Saharan Africa. This is to say that the severity of hunger globally occurs in Sub-Saharan Africa. On the tip of pyramid of global hunger are the following in a descending order: DR Congo (39.1), Burundi (38.7), Eritrea (36.5), Sierra Leone (33.8), Chad (31.3) and Ethiopia (30.8).
The report however notes that it is actually painting a picture of the past, not the present. That picture is valid for 2007 because "the most recent available" data incorporated in it is "only until 2007". It however highlights countries and regions which face the greatest risk.
With 5.2 and 5.4 points to themselves, Syria and Trinidad and Tobago are first and second, respectively, in the low hunger or most food secure developing countries. The Asian and Caribbean countries are followed by Paraguay (5.6) and Surinam (5.6), in the third and fourth positions, respectively. In Africa, the positive scale is led by Morocco, which is ranked seventh globally, two steps below China, which is fifth.
Below the North African country, in the low hunger belt, are Mauritius (6.7), Gabon (6.9) and South Africa (7.0). This means that, globally, Mauritius, Gabon and South Africa have the 12th, 13th and 14th positions, respectively. Morocco is first in the continent, Mauritius second, Gabon third and South Africa fourth.
A large number of other African countries rank higher than Nigeria in the food security chain. Swaziland, with 11.1points, is fifth in the continent and 26th globally. Ghana is next with 11.5 points and sixth in Africa and 28th globally. It is followed by Lesotho (12.0), seventh in Africa and 30th internationally.
All these and the following countries, in descending order, are equally in the seriously threatened category with Nigeria: Botswana (12.1), Namibia (14.4), Cote d'Ivoire (14.5), Uganda (4.8), Mauritania (15.0) and Congo (15.4), Benin (17.2), Senegal (17.3) and Cameroun (17.9). Nigeria (18.4) comes after Guinea (18.2) and is tied with North Korea (18.4).
After Nigeria in the seriously threatened nations in Africa are Malawi (18.5), The Gambia (18.9), Mali (19.5) and Sudan (19.6). With 20.2 points, Kenya tops the alarmingly threatened countries in Africa and globally. The last country in this category is Niger (28.8).
The following African countries fall in between: Burkina Faso (20.4), Zimbabwe (21.0), Tanzania (21.1) and Djibouti (22.9), Guinea Bissau (23.1), Togo (23.1), Liberia (24.6), Angola (25.3), Mozambique (25.3), Rwanda (25.4), Zambia (25.7) and Central African Republic (28.1).
The report is based on three indicators. The first is the proportion of undernourished as a percentage of the population, reflecting the share of the population with insufficient dietary energy intake.
The second is the prevalence of underweight in children under five years of age as an indication of the proportion of children suffering from weight loss and/or reduced growth. The third is the mortality rate of children under five, partially indicating link between inadequate intake and unhealthy environment.
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