Africa cannot blame the current Russia-Ukraine war as the cause of hunger on the continent, Ghana’s former president John Mahama has said.
Mahama’s comment comes after the World Bank said the world is facing a “human catastrophe” from a food crisis arising from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“When they say there is a Russia-Ukraine war that is going to create hunger in Africa, it’s crazy. With the kind of land, water and sunlight we have here, why would the Ukraine war be a problem for us,” Mahama told Uganda-based NBS Television.
“Every country and every continent must take advantage in respect of what it’s comparatively good at.We must leverage our comparative advantage. We have sunlight, water, arable lands, and natural resources. That’s what God blessed us with,” he told host Samson Kasumba.
Warning
The world is facing a “human catastrophe” from a food crisis arising from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to the President of the World Bank, David Malpass.
In an interview with BBC economics editor Faisal Islam, Malpass, who leads the institution charged with global alleviation of poverty, warned that record rises in food prices would push hundreds of millions people into poverty and lower nutrition, if the crisis continues.
“It’s a human catastrophe, meaning nutrition goes down. But then it also becomes a political challenge for governments who can’t do anything about it, they didn’t cause it and they see the prices going up,” he said on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank meetings in Washington.
The World Bank calculates there could be a “huge” 37% increase in food prices, which is “magnified for [the] poor”, who will “eat less and have less money for anything else such as schooling. And so that means that it’s really an unfair kind of crisis. It hits the poorest the hardest. That was true also of COVID”.
The price rises are broad and deep, he said: “it’s affecting food of all different kinds oils, grains, and then it gets into other crops, corn crops, because they go up when wheat goes up”.
There was enough food in the world to feed everybody, he said, and global stockpiles are large by historical standards, but there will have to be a sharing or sales process to get the food to where it is needed.
Malpass also discouraged countries from subsidising production or capping prices.
Instead, he said, the focus needed to be on increasing supplies across the world of fertilisers and food, alongside targeted assistance for the very poorest people.
The World Bank chief also warned of a knock on “crisis within a crisis” arising from the inability of developing countries to service their large pandemic debts, amid rising food and energy prices.
“This is a very real prospect. It’s happening for some countries, we don’t know how far it’ll go. As many as 60% of the poorest countries right now are either in debt distress or at high risk of being in debt distress,” he said.
“We have to be worried about a debt crisis, the best thing to do is to start early to act early on finding ways to reduce the debt burden for countries that are on have unsustainable debt, the longer you put it off, the worse it is,” he added.
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***barred word*** Saaa, if the UN is taking about Global Food Crisis, you have to remove your Ghana spectacle and stop being myopic. Is the Global supply Chain is affected , as occasioned by Covid-19, and Agricultural inputs are in shot supply, what will happen to Global food crisis? Mahama is not the person. he is too narrow minded and quick to talk. For your information, we are talking about global food crisis and not National or African Food crisis.
@Adwoa, you guys all think alike, Isn't it funny a whole continent of Africa especially West Africa to be lacking food to eat and attributing it's failures to Russia and Ukraine comedy (war)...?
COMERCIAL IRRIGATED BIG FARMS IS KEY FOR GHANA FOOD SECURITY GOVERNMENT SHOULD STOP SUBSIDISING FERTILIZERS BUT ALLOW FARMERS GO AND BUY THEIR OWN FERTILIZERS IN OPEN MARKET THAT WILL STOP SMUGGLINGS OF FERTILIZERS. AGAIN GOVERNMENT SHOULD ASSIST THE MANUFACTURES OF ORGANIC FERTILIZERS TO IMPROVE SUPPLY CHAIN BOOTLENECKS TO IMPROVE SUPPLY. RATHER USE PORTION OF THE SUBSIDY TO IMPROVE MECHANISATION OF FARM EQUIPMENT FOR EVERY DISTRICT UNDER THE DISTRICT MECHANISATION PROGRAM FOR A LITTLE FEE FOR MAINTAINING THESE FARM EQUIPMENTS UNDER THE DISTRICT ASSEMBLY CONTROL IN MAINTENCE, NEW EQUIPMENT PURCHASE, REGISTRATION OF FARMERS IN EACH DISTRICT WITH GHANA CARD, SETTING THEM UP FOR PENSION, FARM INSURANCE, FARM DISABILITY INSURANCE. THIS WILL GO A LONG WAY TO HELP GHANAIAN FARMERS. COMMERCIAL IRRIGATED FARMING IS THE SOLUTION TO OUR FOOD SECURITY. STO PEASANT FARMING IN GHANA IT DOESN'T HELP IS POLITICIANS OUTLET FOR WASTE SPENDING, FERLIZER SUDIES IS WASTE BUT RATHER REWARD FOOD PRODUCE TO UPLIFT FARMER NOT SUBSIDIES THAT REWARD AND ENCOURAGE SMUGGLERS.
Basic understanding of spillover effect of war on production inputs , supply chain and markets Mahama does not understand. Power drunk Mahama is blinded by research that goes in NDC's favour and he is spewing our trash. He easily spews insults to cover his naivety and foolishness. Is it his mother or the sun that produces fertilizer to Ghana and Africa? Such a disappointment of an Ex-President. Desperate for power.
@Kay, if you do not see anything about this government fair enough. The five car manufacturing companies in the world have seen it that why they are here. The IDIF Companies and business are springing up,132 of them are operational, the Ghana Card and the address systems that will make Banks given financial assistance to people is in place, the road construction is going, Agenda 111 is working, the interchanges is taking, school buildings in existing school has taken place that is why double track has been cancelled. I can go on and write fifty pages with on insults. The good people of Ghana will talk through their thumb. The country will not be taken back by your Create Loot and Share government of yours. They have not come into power but Ofosu Ampofo has started talking about NCNC meaning No contribution No chop system they operate in the unlikely event NDC winning power that is how they are going operate.
@Otweben Osei .... Come out with something new. your lazy ***barred word*** Nana Addo has the worst growth rate ever recorded in our history and you think he's any use for that presidency?.....Only myopic followers will rate this ape of president. Show me one thing that this gvm't has done that can even match Mahama's Ghana Gas, ESLA levy, Gh Infrastructure Fund, Ghana Exim Bank etc.... 3rd class student leading a country and you are proud....Apuu as for this govmt and it's Lazy impotent president only monkeys like you will rate him. The Ape and his Monkey foolsoldiers.
@Osei, when your NDC was in power Agriculture growth was negative 4 percent. Go to the Ghana Statistical Service website to check. Ghanaians now his track records, He is trying hard to come to power so that the Bauxite which value $650 billion will be given back to his brother and sell the whole concessions to the Chinese. The courier bird has whispered to me, already his family have had the first meeting with Chinese.
Talk is cheap. It is equally ***barred word*** to go to IMF for policy credibility when you have all resources at your disposal.
Npp Foolsoldiers and stup!d thinking.... You think life is all about elections?...... You have the energy to defend this Old Lazy Ape who knows nothing to governance. Your Nana is the worst and the most corrupt Misleader we have ever had..... He's the only president we ever had that was seen grabbing money with his two short hands in a video. Mahama will be your nightmare till thy kingdom com.
But this man paaa so he thinks Ghanaians will vote for him again..not even his own NDC twiakai