“Hunger is not an issue of charity. It is an issue of justice.” — Jacques Diouf, Former Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
Every year on October 16, the world observes World Food Day, commemorating the establishment of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 1945. Eight decades later, the day remains a global call to action, reminding nations, institutions, and individuals of their shared responsibility to eliminate hunger and build sustainable food systems.
READ ALSO: World Food Day 2024: Food Security for Africa’s Future
The 2025 theme, “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future,” could not be timelier. It echoes the urgent need for global cooperation to tackle deepening inequalities in food access, climate-induced disruptions, and the increasing strain on agricultural productivity. But nowhere is this message more urgent than in Africa, where the struggle against hunger has reached a defining moment.
Despite its abundant natural resources and fertile lands, Africa remains the most food-insecure continent. The 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report paints a sobering picture: while global hunger declined slightly to affect about 670 million people, Africa saw a rise in undernourishment, now impacting over 20 percent of its population, about 307 million people. This marks an increase from the 282 million recorded in mid-2024, underscoring the continent’s worsening crisis amid global recovery.
The drivers of this crisis are as diverse as they are complex, from armed conflicts and climate change to economic instability and population displacement. In the Horn of Africa, recurrent droughts have devastated livestock and crops. In the Sahel, insecurity and armed conflict have disrupted farming and trade routes. Meanwhile, in southern regions, El Niño-induced droughts have left millions dependent on emergency food aid. The cumulative effect is that up to 170 million Africans face acute food insecurity, with countries such as Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan among the hardest hit.
Yet behind these statistics are millions of untold human stories, families who skip meals to feed their children, farmers whose harvests no longer fill their granaries, and children whose growth and education are stunted by chronic malnutrition. Across the continent, about 58 million children under five suffer from stunting, and nearly 14 million are wasted. The Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2025 reveals that while some African countries such as South Africa, have made measurable progress, many others remain in “serious” or “alarming” hunger categories.
If present trends persist, experts warn that by 2030, over 291 million Africans, more than half of the world’s chronically undernourished population, will still face hunger. This grim projection highlights a stark reality: the continent’s ambition to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger remains far from reach.
Nonetheless, Africa’s narrative is not one of despair, but of determination. Across the continent, new initiatives are redefining the fight against hunger through African-led and community-driven solutions. The Africa Zero Hunger Campaign, launched by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in 2025, targets 60 million people across 15 countries by 2030. The initiative promotes resilience-building, local innovation, and a shift from dependency on food aid to sustainable systems that empower communities.
Similarly, the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) 2026–2035, adopted by African leaders, aims to enhance agricultural investment, reduce food imports, and boost productivity. It projects that by 2035, Africa will meet at least a quarter of its food demand internally. These efforts complement the G20 South Africa Presidency 2025, which prioritises hunger eradication and financing mechanisms for African-led food security projects. While the African Union’s 2013 pledge to eliminate hunger by 2025 remains off-track, it has nonetheless sparked stronger policy frameworks and regional cooperation around sustainable agriculture.
What is clear is that achieving a hunger-free Africa requires more than humanitarian aid. It demands political will, innovation, and shared accountability. Governments must prioritise rural infrastructure, irrigation systems, and regional food reserves. Private investors and agripreneurs should expand value chains, fund agri-tech start-ups, and promote fair markets for smallholder farmers, who currently produce nearly 70 percent of Africa’s food. Civil society must continue to advocate for nutrition, responsible consumption, and environmental stewardship. Above all, ordinary citizens must value food as a shared resource, wasting less, buying locally, and supporting indigenous crops that are both nutritious and resilient to climate change.
As the Global Report on Food Crises 2025 warns, the threats are not diminishing. In conflict-affected zones like Burkina Faso and Mali, thousands are at risk of famine-level conditions if humanitarian assistance is delayed. Meanwhile, floods and extreme heat across East and Southern Africa continue to displace communities, destroy farmland, and heighten vulnerability. Yet, these challenges also present an opportunity for solidarity, the very spirit captured in this year’s World Food Day theme: “Hand in Hand.”
In marking this global observance, African Leadership Magazine calls for renewed collaboration across borders, sectors, and generations. Africa’s transformation lies in the hands of its people, in its farmers who till the soil, its policymakers who shape agricultural strategy, its entrepreneurs who innovate for change, and its youth who will carry the vision forward.
This year’s World Food Day is not merely a day of reflection; it is a call to act together, hand in hand, for a hunger-free Africa. The continent holds within its soil the power to feed not only its own people but the world. With decisive leadership, inclusive investment, and sustained commitment, Africa can turn its agricultural potential into prosperity and transform the dream of “Better Foods and a Better Future” into a lived reality for every African child.
