Western and Central Africa
Western and Central Africa continue to face protracted insecurity and political instability, with conflicts in Central Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, the Niger and Nigeria), and persistent armed violence in Central African countries such as in the Central African Republic. The impacts of such challenges are compounded by climate extremes, disease outbreaks and economic crises, including due to the socioeconomic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Extreme poverty in the region has increased and the combined effects of these factors have led to a deterioration of food insecurity and malnutrition, especially in conflict-affected areas. This includes the Democratic Republic of the Congo – still the world’s largest food crisis.
News
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News
FAO and WFP early warning report reveals worsening hunger in 13 hotspots; five with immediate risk of starvation
16/06/2025
Sudan, Palestine, South Sudan, Haiti, and Mali remain hotspots of highest concern, and Democratic Republic of the Congo has returned as a hunger hotspot...
News
Acute food insecurity and malnutrition rise for sixth consecutive year in world’s most fragile regions – new report
16/05/2025
In 2024, over 295 million people across 53 countries and territories faced acute hunger—an increase of almost 14 million people compared to 2023, while...
News
Desert locust movements in Northwest Africa raise concern amid spring breeding season
29/04/2025
FAO calls to enhance monitoring and initiate early control measures in affected countries
Publications
Publications
Subregional West Africa: Project Highlights - OSRO/SFW/010/AUS
08/2025
In recent years, the Sahel region, and more specifically the central Sahel, which includes Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, has been facing increasing...
Publications
Cameroon: Emergency Project to Combat Food Crisis (PULCCA)
08/2025
The eastern region of Cameroon is facing a complex crisis characterized by increased insecurity, frequent climate shocks and economic instability.
Publications
Cameroon: Reducing humanitarian needs in the Far North by scaling up anticipatory actions
08/2025
In Cameroon, the Far North region is grappling with a worsening multidimensional crisis – climatic, humanitarian and security-related – that severely...
Multimedia
Photo Collection
Sierra Leone: Building resilient communities through climate-smart and market-driven production for improved
22/01/2025
View this gallery on Flickr
Photo Collection
Cameroon: Improving food security by supporting the productivity of smallholder farmers
19/05/2025
View this gallery on Flickr.
Photo Collection
Nigeria: DIEM-Monitoring Agricultural inputs survey, round 1
08/07/2024
View this gallery on Flickr.
Bringing microfinance to rural areas in Mali to improve women's lives
A micro-credit scheme for rural areas in Mali has been decisive in making a real impact on women. Local banks, NGOs and public institutions worked closely to ensure that women could access loans, join associations and have their voices be heard in collective decision-making processes. It also allowed these women and their communities to make collective investments that would increase their production, stabilize and diversify their nutrition, and ultimately achieve a better life.
The IFAD-funded initiative is supported by the Governments of Mali, Canada and Denmark, and receives technical assistance from FAO’s Investment Centre. It benefitted more than half a million rural poor Malians, among them 105,000 women. Today, they are some of the microfinance institutions’ most solvent clients.
08/03/2022