The food and nutrition crisis in West Africa and the Sahel continues to worsen, affecting millions of households. According to the latest Cadre Harmonisé (2025) analysis, 41.8 million people are currently experiencing acute food insecurity, and without urgent interventions, this number could rise to 52.8 million during the 2026 lean season from June to August. The assessment, covering 15 countries including Cameroon, highlights how conflict, climate shocks, rising food prices, and reductions in humanitarian funding are undermining the livelihoods of vulnerable populations.
Persistent insecurity in regions such as the Lake Chad Basin, Liptako-Gourma, the Anglophone regions of Cameroon, and parts of northwest and central Nigeria has restricted access to farmland and markets. At the same time, climate shocks have reduced crop yields, inflation and rising input costs have added economic pressures, and limited humanitarian funding has weakened the ability to meet priority needs. Koffy Dominique Kouacou, Head of FAO’s Sub-regional Resilience Team for West Africa, emphasized that these interlinked factors are driving the worsening food crisis.
Between October and December 2025, nearly 41.8 million people were classified in Crisis or worse (phases 3–5) on the Cadre Harmonisé scale, with over 1.4 million in Emergency (phase 4) across Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Senegal. While no areas are currently in Catastrophe (phase 5), projections for 2026 are deeply concerning. If immediate action is not taken, up to 52.8 million people could face acute food insecurity during the upcoming lean season, with countries most at risk including Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Niger, Guinea, Mali, Ghana, and Sierra Leone. Localized areas such as Borno State in Nigeria could see more than 15,000 people at risk of entering Catastrophe.
FAO has called on governments and partners to urgently scale up response efforts to support food production, protect livelihoods, and increase investments in community resilience. Bintia Stephen-Tchicaya, FAO Sub-regional Coordinator for West Africa, stressed that these alarming figures require collective action to prevent a major deterioration in 2026. FAO emphasizes updating response plans, targeting vulnerable areas, ensuring humanitarian access, strengthening community resilience, and improving regional coordination.
The Cadre Harmonisé analysis covers 1,142 areas for both the current period (October–December 2025) and the projected lean season (June–August 2026). Three countries—The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Burkina Faso—did not conduct analysis in this cycle. National sessions were conducted between October and November 2025, with regional and country-specific reviews completed in November and December. Koffy Dominique Kouacou highlighted that the Cadre Harmonisé serves as a validated compass for identifying vulnerable areas, informing decision-making, and prioritizing interventions to achieve food security in West Africa.
The Cadre Harmonisé (CH) is a regional, consensus-based tool for integrated food security analysis in West Africa and the Sahel. It classifies areas into five severity phases, from Phase 1 (Minimal) to Phase 5 (Catastrophe/Famine), guiding planning and advocacy for vulnerable populations. Since 1999, CILSS, ECOWAS, UEMOA, UN agencies, NGOs, and international partners have collaborated to develop and apply this tool, ensuring evidence-based support for food security interventions across the region.
