World Food Policy Volume/Issue 2-2/3-1 Fall 2015/Spring 2016 | Page 161
World Food Policy
Figure 7: The food Security Situation in SSA
Source: Global Food Security Index 2014
SSA received the lowest regional
score in the 2015 Global Food Security
Index 2014 (GFSI), with an overall score
almost 20 points below that of Asia &
Pacific. It also scores the lowest in each
of the components of the food security
concept (access=affordability, availability,
and quality and safety categories).
Hunger, Poverty, and Growth
According to FAO, 18 SSA
countries have met the target 1c of the
Millennium Development Goals of
2000, with the objective of reducing
the prevalence of hunger by 50%, and 4
others are close to reach it.
Among these 18 countries, 7
have also achieved the more ambitious
objective of the World Food Summit of
1996 with the objective of reducing by a
half the number of people suffering from
hunger (Angola, Cameroon, Djibouti,
Gabon, Ghana, Mali and Sao Tome, and
Principe) and 2 others (South Africa and
Togo) are close to doing so.
Although SSA has experienced
high economic growth rates over the past
5 years, poverty has not been reduced
drastically. SSA has accounted for 8 of
the world’s 20 fastest-growing economies
over the past 5 years (2009–2013).
According to the World Bank, economic
growth in SSA will reach in 2015, 3.7%
instead of 4.6% shown in 2014, which is
the lowest growth since 2009. Still, 42.7%
of the population live under the poverty
headcount ratio at $1.90 a day in 2012
(56.8% in 1990) that means an estimated
50% of the population continues to live
on