As Covid-19 threatens to increase food insecurity in West Africa, our government should get their act together and face the real threat to public order: Hunger

The Sierra Leone government should at now try to focus its attention to the issue of livelihood and the fight against Covid-19 rather than getting involved into another warfare: a political one. We are already in a more deadly warfare with an invincible enemy, Covid-19 is squashing our economy slowly but intensely, and as things get uglier, it's the poorest of the poor that could pay the highest cost. For instance, according to a report released by USAID on the 30th January, 2018, the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic exposed the whole of Sierra Leone to a grave health impacts, and aggravated food insecurity problem in the  country owing to disruption of livelihood support activities, decrease in purchasing power and quarantine measures. The report, referencing the United Nations World Food Programme and the World Bank, further expressed that more than 50 per cent of Sierra Leone's population live under the national poverty line; and that, according to the 2017 Global Hunger Index, hunger is very widespread in the country, with approximately 38 per cent of children below 5 years of age suffering from stunting due to severe malnutrition.

This time things may get worst as livelihood disruption and quarantine measures are ubiquitously observed across the world. The IMF has warned that in 2020 the world may experience the worst recession since 1930s with global economy set to contract by 3 per cent in 2020 as opposed to early January forecast of a global GDP expansion of 3.3 per cent for this year.

How Ready is Africa to Face this Issue?

A report by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), indicated that the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic could see the spike in number of people at risk of food insecurity and malnutrition from 17 million to 50 million between the period of June and August 2020 alone. Meanwhile, "nine out of 10 African children do not meet the criteria for minimum acceptable diet outlined by the World Health Organization, and two out of five don’t eat meals regularly...." Annually, child hunger costs Ethiopia 16.5% of its GDP. The rate for Rwanda is 11.5%. The report says “for every dollar invested in reducing stunting, there is a return of about $22 (£17) in Chad, $21 in Senegal, and $17 in Niger and Uganda”, and if the investment is made early in the child’s life, the return rates can be even higher: up to $85 in Nigeria, $80 in Sudan and $60 in Kenya" (Saeed Kamali Dehghan, 5th June, 2019). Dehgan (Supra) further emphasized that by 2050, if things continue as they are now, undernourished, malnourished and hungry children and young people will amount to one billion in Africa; and more than half of African countries are presently off track to achieve the targets required in the African regional nutrition strategy (2015-2025).

Meanwhile, the agricultural season is ushered in this time by difficulty, perhaps more severe now than before. Farmers and producers have already suffered great economic downturn and market structures/system are ever more constrained this time due to the crisis making it difficult to access quality seeds and fertilizers. Agriculture makes up of 30.5 per cent of West Africa's economy, making it the largest source of income and livelihood for up to 70-80 percent of the population (with women in domination).

Oxfam International (20th April, 2020) warned that the impact of Coronavirus combined with the lean season and conflict and insecurity, which will overwhelm the population of the subregion, should be looked into and international cooperation and concerted efforts among states remain the best ways to counter the challenges.  Recent developments in Sierra Leone however indicate disregard for the eminent challenges in the subregion. Political, regional and ethnic divides are becoming more widespread and tangible, and such developments are posing major threat to both food security and  physical security. The pace of politically motivated arrests have seemingly reached an explosive pitch. The country is at crossroads, it must now choose to either stay its course and consolidate its peace and unity while at the same time building public trust in institutions, or divert attention to political warfare and arbitrary arrests that will undermine our ability to tackle Covid-19 before it becomes explosive. We have already started experiencing the wave of disobedience and anger among Sierra Leonean youths, a development that will further increase the fragility of our nation state and repel potential investors. As the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres would warn the UN security council members of other pressing risks to global security from the pandemic: "armed groups seeing an opportunity to strike, potentially with a biological attack; the erosion of trust in public institutions; economic instability; political tensions from postponing elections; uncertainty sparking further division and turmoil in some countries; and COVID-19 "triggering or exacerbating various human rights challenges", we should be concerned with this growing tension reminiscing the cause of twelve years Civil War as is narrated in the TRC report.

In the meantime, the following remarks by the secretary general should be a food for thought for our politicians at this material time: "To win against it and to overcome its consequences we need also to overcome our prejudices, phobias, hatreds, distrust, suspicions,"... And to us the ordinary people: "It's not the time for contests - who did what and who was more successful than others. It's not the time for blaming and finger-pointing. It's time to help, to share experiences, and to listen to each other and find ways to work together."

It's evident that things are rough and almost unbearable, but we can overcome in this fight. The hardship is a global reality at this time. Many people are angry even in advanced economies like the US. We should maintain the peace to save innocent lives and break the chain of transmission. We have few more years to express our anger and disappointments through the ballot box.

The ruling government should learn to from the mistakes of past adminstration and get their acts together to avoid committing the same blunders of the past. Sierra Leone is a fragile state. The judiciary should perform its duty in a free and fair (and independent) manner. Political prisoners (or accused) should be accorded their full right to justice. The habit of indefinite detention should stop. It has the potency to raise tension and anxiety, some of the breading grounds for social unrest.

The government should acknowledge people anger and the effect of the pandemic on livelihood. Efforts should be made to assist or bail out farmers and SMEs to cushion the economic and social effects of the pandemic. And where and when possible, citizens should be supported with food supply to ensure adherence to physical distancing. It could be costly, but a stitch in time can save nine. Lockdown measures should take into consideration the living conditions in the country. We should not assume a  one-size-fit-all strategy in the fight against Covid-19 in an impoverished nation as ours. Transparency, professionalism and equality are key in this fight. The security should be professional in dealing with people in quarantine or isolation units to safeguard both patients and the masses. As a people we should be transparent enough to report cases when we meet case definition. And as a government we should ensure transparency in treatment and response action in order to build trust. And equality in treatment should apply to all. We should not allow powerful or connected people to beat the system and expose the rest of the ordinary masses. We should ensure that the measure and policies apply to all irrespective of social status. Everybody should be regarded as a potential case.

We can overcome!

© Amadu Wurie Jalloh
®The Students Analysts and Writers Network
®The Emmanuel Ivorgba Foundation

Refs:

(https://reliefweb.int/report/sierra-leone/sierra-leone-food-assistance-fact-sheet-january-30-2018)

(https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/covid-19-50-million-people-threatened-hunger-west-africa)

(https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/jun/05/nearly-half-of-all-child-deaths-in-africa-stem-from-hunger-study-shows)

(https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2020/04/chief-warns-coronavirus-threatens-global-peace-200410062544018.html)

Photo credit: anonymous (Said to have taken in northern Congo


Disclaimer: the above photo does not indicate what country it was taken.