The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has identified Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Niger, and Nigeria among 61 other countries grappling with food poverty.
In its latest report for June 2024, the global organization also highlighted Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Niger, Pakistan, the Philippines, Somalia, South Africa, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Yemen as facing similar challenges.
Additional countries listed in the report include Tunisia, Nepal, Vietnam, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Montenegro, Albania, Tonga, Indonesia, Gambia, Haiti, Burkina Faso, and Rwanda, among several others.
According to the report, one in four children (27 percent) worldwide is experiencing severe food poverty in early childhood, translating to 181 million children under the age of five.
UNICEF defines child food poverty as the inability of children to access and consume a nutritious and diverse diet during early childhood.
The report indicated children living in severe food poverty lack access to many nutrient-rich foods, while unhealthy foods are becoming prevalent in their diets.
This situation is contributing to widespread child undernutrition.
Expressing concern over child malnutrition, UNICEF has urged governments and partners to invest in measures that improve children’s access to diverse and nutritious diets and to take steps to eliminate severe child food poverty.
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The report is in line with a report in Ghana that indicates that 73 million people in Ghana are multidimensional poor and faces food insecurity