NAIROBI, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- African leaders should prioritize action on the climate-induced hunger crisis that has escalated in the continent, threatening peace, stability and inclusive development, Oxfam, an international charity, said on Saturday.
Over 20 million people in Africa, equivalent to the population of Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe combined, have in the last year been pushed into acute hunger, the charity said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital to coincide with the African Union Heads of State Summit underway in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
According to Oxfam, one-fifth of the African population, or 278 million people are undernourished while 55 million children below five years are stunted due to acute malnutrition.
Fati N'Zi-Hassane, the Oxfam Director in Africa urged political leaders to fulfill previous commitments to ramp up agricultural financing, and boost food and nutritional security.
"As Africa's Heads of State meet today (Saturday) at this year's Summit, let this not be another year of broken promises. We urge them to honor commitments they collectively made almost ten years ago by investing in agriculture and supporting small-holder farmers," said N'Zi-Hassane.
African leaders attending the two-day summit are also expected to discuss climate change-induced food scarcity blighting the continent, insecurity, civil strife and post-pandemic economic recovery.
N'Zi-Hassane said that political goodwill was imperative in order to attain the Malabo target of 10 percent of agriculture financing and improve food security and rural incomes in the continent.
She added that strengthening the resilience of small-holder farmers in the face of climatic shocks should be a priority in a continent grappling with other challenges like rapid population growth and shrinking arable land.
N'Zi-Hassane stressed that increasing food production will be key to the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area, calling on governments to revamp infrastructure and spur cross-border trade in agricultural commodities. ■