COVID-19 and Food Insecurity in Africa

This research paper examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security across Africa, highlighting how economic shocks and trade disruptions exacerbated hunger. It analyzes the varying vulnerability of different income groups and regions, the role of protectionist policies, and the potential for the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) to build long-term resilience by increasing intra-continental food trade.

• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased food insecurity in Africa, with the number of undernourished people estimated to exceed 250 million as the pandemic combined with existing climate shocks and conflicts.
• The proportion of the African population experiencing food stress rose from 10.2% in 2019 to 13.3% in 2020, with a partial recovery to 12% in 2021. Additionally, the percentage of the population in food crisis, emergency, or catastrophe increased from 5.4% to 7.3% following the pandemic shock.
• Upper-middle income countries, such as South Africa and the Maghreb nations, were the most vulnerable to COVID-induced food insecurity due to their deep integration into global supply chains and recessions of 6 to 9 percent in 2020. In contrast, lower-middle income economies like Nigeria, Benin, Senegal, and those in the East African Community were less severely impacted because their labor forces rely more heavily on informal and domestic employment and have broader access to land use rights.
• Protectionist measures hindered food security during the pandemic; for example, Malawi maintained a maize export ban from February 2018 despite a 5.1% increase in food production in 2020, which caused income losses for farmers and prevented other countries from accessing surplus maize.
• The African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) aims to improve resilience by increasing intra-African food trade, which currently accounts for less than 0.5% of GDP. As of October 2021, 38 of 55 member countries had ratified the agreement, and 41 had submitted tariff schedules.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2021). COVID-19 and Food Insecurity in Africa. https://saiia.org.za/research/covid-19-and-food-insecurity-in-africa/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. COVID-19 and Food Insecurity in Africa. 2021. https://saiia.org.za/research/covid-19-and-food-insecurity-in-africa/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=COVID-19 and Food Insecurity in Africa |date=13 December 2021 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/covid-19-and-food-insecurity-in-africa/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2021covid19, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{COVID-19 and Food Insecurity in Africa}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/covid-19-and-food-insecurity-in-africa/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }