The African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development, NEPAD July 2 launched the 2016 Global Hunger Index (Africa Edition). The report which tracks and reports hunger levels in Africa indicates that Cameroon is yet to graduate from the class of countries with serious hunger issues.
The 2016 report shows Cameroon scored 22.9 points as oppose to 30.5 points recorded in 2008 and 40.3 in the year 2000. Though this indicates that Cameroon has improved in its fight against hunger, the country requires three more points to reach the class of countries with moderate hunger levels 10-19.9points)
With 22.9 points, Cameroon occupies the 15th position in Africa, yet among the countries which have recorded significant improvement in reducing hunger levels. The country’s hunger level dropped by about 45percent within a period of 15years.
In June 2015, the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation awarded Cameroon a trophy for achieving Millennium Development Goal number 1- eradicating extreme poverty and hunger.
The report is an initiative implemented by NEPAD in collaboration with collaboration with the African Union Commission, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Regional Strategic Analysis Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS), Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe.
The classification in the report is calculated based on four indicators, namely undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting and child mortality.
During its launch in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dr Ibrahim Mayaki, CEO of NEPAD said “the launch of the Global Hunger Index: Africa Edition report presents a ray of hope in the fight against the scourge of hunger on the continent.”
Amira Elfadil, Social Affairs Commissioner of the AU Commission on her part noted that though hunger levels in Africa are dropping, there are some challenges to be addressed.
“Africa has all the strategies and frameworks to curb hunger in the continent. The challenge however, remains the implementation of these frameworks and strategies. The challenges include lack of commitment in implementation, and budgetary and financial constraints especially because of dependency on donor support. African countries must support each other. We must focus on training and capacity building” said she.
