In the next six years, 2030, the world will evaluate the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) made by the UN in 2012 in Rio de Janeiro. The second of these 17 Goals is the attainment of zero hunger, which envisages achieving the crucial parts of the eight targets of goal 2. The targets of SDG 2 include universal access to safe and nutritious food, ending all forms of malnutrition, doubling the productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, sustainable food production and resilient agricultural practices, and maintaining genetic diversity in food production. The other three targets are investment in infrastructure, agricultural research, technology and gene banks; prevention of agricultural restrictions, market distortions and export subsidies; ensuring stable food and commodity markets and timely access to information. Despite the lofty hopes of SDG 2, current records reveal that 733 million people go hungry daily. Hunger rates in Africa are incredibly high, as 1 out of 5 people go hungry every day. At least 40 of the 50 countries at the bottom of the Global Hunger Index are in Africa. Nigeria declined from 109 in 2023 to 110 out of 127 in 2024 in the Global Hunger Index, with scores of 28.8 in 2024 and 28.3 in 2023. These scores indicate the hardship and hunger citizens have experienced across the country in the past few years, especially the last year, because of several policy shifts.
According to the World Food Programme (WFP), having 31.8 million acutely food insecure people places Nigeria at the top of the global chart for this phenomenon. This edition of Nextier SPD Policy Weekly reflects on the need for more inclusive hunger intervention in national coverage and strategy by the state and WFP.
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