Gorbatov_The Idea School_African Summit_Ghana_Food Crisis 

 
Ghana, a small, middle-income Western-African nation with a population of 29 million, represents a 
particularly striking example of the repercussions of the external financial crisis on domestic food insecurity, and it 
illustrates the immediate need for inventing an international solution. As a matter of fact, the global financial system 
of more affluent nations has an outsized effect on local economic infrastructure of developing countries, and as a 
consequence, any dislocations in the banking system quickly ripple through and cause widespread suffering in poorer, 
mostly African nations. The last financial crisis began in the housing market in the United States, and its 
macroeconomic aftermath was first felt there, later spreading to Europe and Asia. These industrialized nations, across 
several continents, experienced the collapse of major banking institutions, massive layoffs in financial markets, and 
GNP (gross national product) contraction. The global and ever-escalating crisis eventually reached the shores of 
developing countries. Once there, due to the confluence of a myriad of different issues, it compounded the already 
acute conditions of hunger and malnutrition. It all has had a serious impact on Ghanaians according to reports from 
the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and various other international institutions.  
Many other factors contribute to food insecurity in Ghana, including relative indifference from wealthier 
nations, local mismanagement, and natural disasters. For example, in 2017, as per the General Agricultural Workers 
Union (GAWU), Ghana underwent an acute shortage of food. Imported to the continent of Africa through produce, 
armyworms held an ongoing invasion to the detriment of local farmers. Additionally and significantly, this problem 
was not being tackled by the government in a manner commensurate with its magnitude. Lack of transparency and 
outright fabrication of facts by state-controlled propaganda resulted in a misinformation campaign that tried to 
debunk all incriminating reports and claimed that despite there being 20,000 hectares of farmland infested, the 
GAWU had the dilemma “under control,” and that the worms had been defeated even though the destruction 
continued unabated. It was also promised that research into biologically based control would be conducted and 
implemented as a durable, permanent plan to rid the nation of the pest, a team of scientists would be directed to 
design a strategic stock of chemicals in the region to avoid the recurrence of the situation, and that farmer training 
would be intensified when it came to the detection of the pest. Most of these promises remain either entirely or 
partially unfulfilled to this day. All of this took place despite the fact that a clear and complete picture of the depths of 
the crises was known to several international aid agencies. In particular, estimates put the damage at over $60 million. 
There was little doubt as to the rate at which these worms were dispersing and launching their massive onslaught, and 
thus there was a clear-eyed realization that most of the rural zones of Ghana would be faced with an extreme food 
crisis, posing a real danger to the livelihoods of about four million farmers whose farmlands had been infested. 
GAWU, therefore, called on the government to “declare a state of emergency, mobilize emergency funds,” and take a 
series of practical steps to confront the pest. Yet, corruption, unaccountability, and cynicism on the part of the 
Ghanaian government forestalled any efforts of the international aid organizations.  
In search of the solutions for food shortages and hunger in Western Africa, lessons must be learned from either 
the time of the financial crisis in 2008 or the pest onslaught of 2017. These two circumstances, one transmitted by 
outside forces, the other forced upon through nature and political ineptness, paint not purely a set of complications 
and difficulties, but point to possible routes one might take in endeavoring to alleviate the suffering. The problems are 
complex and intertwined, as is obvious. Their resolution will require financial resources, political will, and 
perseverance. It is helpful to think of this challenge as one with both immediate and lasting needs. On the immediate 
and direct front, much can be done through the assistance of wealthier, industrialized countries--ones with access to 
natural resources and assets. A few of these countries, such as the U.S., after decades of underinvestment, have 
gradually begun to reestablish programs in an effort to resist global hunger, and this effort has built some momentum 
over time. Hunger has become a top priority of the Sustainable Development Goals, something that communities 
around the world came together to pursue in 2015. In response, NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and private 
companies and academic institutions all joined governments coast-to-coast with new agriculture and nutrition 
investments, and these new partnerships made possible the Feed the Future Initiative to counter hunger. It has arrived 
at various impressive results concerning the elimination of poverty, freeing households from hunger, and having 
children adequately nourished. The bipartisan Global Food Security Act made this effort into law during 2016, and it 
led to a new proposition that built on the accomplishments of Feed the Future. This year, two major policy 
opportunities in the U.S. exist to persist in the fight against global hunger: the Global Food Security Reauthorization 
Act and the Farm Bill, both efficient and effective in helping communities build resilience to shocks that cause them 
to be vulnerable to hunger, such as conflict and natural disasters. People are now working to ensure components, that 
allow for flexible interventions, are not removed or obstructed, while also advancing other reforms that will improve 
Food for Peace non-emergency programs. Even individuals are empowered enough to help move the needle in a 
positive direction, whether it be donating, commencing a campaign, informing their friends and families, or just 
advocating. Each contribution, no matter its extent, provides more relief for families facing hunger and others in need 
of lifesaving assistance across the globe. We must continue to support them, beat hunger, and build better lives.  
 More importantly, longer-term solutions, more linked to local governments in Africa must be found, and we 
can only tackle world hunger properly if we address what instigates it in the first place. This means improving 
behaviors and arrangements that enable secure access, availability, and use of food. Fighting the drivers of starvation 
and lack of food is crucial when working with vulnerable communities in a multitude of countries. With agriculture, 
we can further connect farmers to the resources and people they depend upon to increase production, boost their 
incomes, and feed their families. On the subject of sustainability, we can aid communities in creating plans and skills 
to manage their resources and improve crop and livestock production sustainably. On account of good governance, 
we can work with local governments and communities to formulate just and inclusive policies that make it less 
troublesome for people to acquire the resources they require to thrive. With women’s empowerment, we can 
collaborate with women and girls to form agency and work to foster a cultural environment that embraces women’s 
independence and decision-making to earn income and care for their families. On the note of health and nutrition, we 
can provide the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to gain access to and utilize clean water, employ hygienic 
practices, and consume a diverse, nutritious diet. During acute crises, we can provide at-risk communities with critical 
assistance and tools to restore healthy bodies and prosperous livelihoods. We can help people with food, livelihood 
tools, and cash donations when food supplies are unaffordable or on the lower side, such as when people are displaced 
as a result of a conflict or natural disaster. We can also work with multilateral institutions, governments, or other 
leading stakeholders to have funding programs administer policies that help prevent global hunger and malnutrition 
and strengthen the lives of millions on an all-encompassing scale.