Albert Ahenkan

Type of the article: Research Article

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), due to its dependence on food imports and basic necessities such as fertilizers, is impacted by far-reaching global stressors like COVID-19 and climatic transformations, increasing inflationary pressures and geopolitical conflicts. This paper aims to assess the consequences of the Russo-Ukrainian war for food security and stability in Africa. This paper explores existing analytical perspectives and data to identify challenges in agri-food systems, food insecurity, and national and regional security. Analysis of available data reveals several challenges for agri-food systems, food security, and nutrition in Africa, which are exacerbated by the Russo-Ukrainian war: increased market distortions, import dependency, hunger, and vulnerability of the poorest populations. To overcome these challenges and ensure Africa’s sustainable development, it is necessary in the short term to strengthen the political will to implement planned reforms, ensure access to land, finance, and markets, expand social guarantees, create food reserves, remove market barriers, and deploy effective early warning systems. The transformation of agricultural production in the medium term should be achieved through investment in infrastructure, scaling up of technologies and digitalization, strengthening the capacity of agri-chain actors, and developing sustainable and inclusive agri-food systems through broad cross-sectoral coordination. The formation and implementation of a comprehensive policy capable of anticipating global shocks, reducing import dependency, ensuring sustainable resource management, developing year-round agricultural production, and deepening long-term regional cooperation and investment will build reliable, sustainable agri-food systems to ensure sustainable food security in the region.

Acknowledgments
We wish to acknowledge the assistance of Messrs F.O.A.T. Crabbe and Eric Nordjo, Teaching Assistants at the University of Ghana Business School in Legon, in formatting the manuscript to comply with the publisher’s instructions.

Inna Koblianska acknowledged the grant “Fundamentals of Sustainable and Inclusive Regional Spatial Development for Post-War Reconstruction in the Context of Digital Transformation” (# 0125U001620, 2025-2027)” from the state budget of Ukraine.