The African continent today stands at a crossroads. This junction is not only one shaped by the scars of the past, poverty, lack of governance, or infrastructural problems; it is also the threshold of a new era of food insecurity and environmental instability, fueled by the devastating effects of the climate crisis. Across a vast geography stretching from East Africa to the Sahel belt, from the arid plains of Southern Africa to the Red Sea coasts, climate-based drought crises not only undermine the stability of agricultural production but also trigger mass migrations, social explosions, and political ruptures. Behind the current humanitarian disaster lie not only decreasing rainfall levels but also unequal development policies, fragile state structures, and global injustices layered atop these natural phenomena. The issue of hunger in Africa can no longer be viewed merely as a lack of food but must also be interpreted as a manifestation of global struggles for power and influence. Therefore, the focus should not only be on “what will be eaten” or “how it will be grown,” but also on “who will feed” and “who will go hungry.”
According to a report by Reuters, approximately 50–60 million people in West and Central Africa are experiencing acute food insecurity.[1] This figure is directly linked not only to sudden drought waves observed across the continent but also to conflicts, economic crises, and structural agricultural inadequacies. Particularly in East Africa, the “rainless seasons” occurring for the fifth consecutive year in the Ethiopia-Somalia-Kenya triangle have meant the end of livestock and migration-forcing living conditions for local populations. Similarly, in Sahel countries such as Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali, the fight against terrorism and climate-induced crises are intertwined. Moreover, the unpredictability of climate changes in these regions reduces agricultural productivity and leads to radical increases in food prices. The declining number of international aid organizations and the limited accessibility of these regions further exacerbate the situation. In short, Africa is heading toward a food catastrophe in terms of production, access, and resilience.
The continent’s climate vulnerability is not limited to rising temperatures or decreasing rainfall. The lack of agricultural technologies, weak irrigation infrastructure, fragmented food supply chains, and political instabilities amplify the impacts of droughts. For example, due to the ongoing civil war in Sudan, fertile Nile basin lands have become unusable, and the infrastructure systems in the same region have collapsed. Similarly, in Mozambique and Zimbabwe, political turbulence coupled with drought has accelerated rural-to-urban migration. This increases food demand in cities, making prices uncontrollable. At this point, Africa’s current climate regime appears not only as an ecological threat but also as an economic and societal one. The failure to renew agricultural policies through flexible and participatory models tailored to local needs—rather than through centralized planning—causes this threat to grow every year. The food crisis now stands not merely as a nature-based problem but as the result of poor governance, a lack of foresight, and a gap in international solidarity.
Perhaps the most striking example of global climate injustice is found in Africa. Although the continent is responsible for only 3% of the carbon emissions released into the atmosphere globally, it is the region most severely affected by climate change. This structural injustice is also rooted in Africa’s weak representation in global climate negotiations and its unequal access to development projects. For instance, to meet the carbon reduction targets pledged under the Paris Agreement, African countries need approximately $300 billion annually in green financing. However, only 15% of this funding has been provided so far.[2] This has caused Africa to fall behind in areas such as green agriculture, sustainable energy, and climate-resilient infrastructure, while also increasing external dependency.
The promises of global actors like the European Union and the United States often go no further than political rhetoric, failing to make a visible impact at the implementation level. The green energy investments of rising powers like China in Africa are also largely shaped by strategic priorities and focused heavily on raw material procurement. As a result, the continent remains trapped between Western promises and Eastern interests—an object, rather than a subject, of climate justice.
At the regional level, Africa’s responses to the crisis have also been fragmented and uncoordinated. In 2023, the African Union organized the “Africa Climate Summit” in Nairobi and presented a shared vision for green growth. However, whether this vision has been embraced by local governments, community-based organizations, and farmers remains uncertain. Most countries have tied their climate strategies to funding from external donors. This leads to the suspension of plans during crisis periods. For example, although Tanzania and Uganda aim to enhance digitalization in agriculture and make better use of climate data, technical infrastructure deficiencies at the local level hinder the implementation of these projects. Similarly, efforts by ECOWAS countries in West Africa to establish an early warning system have failed due to lack of data and political discord. In this context, for Africa’s responses to the crisis to be successful, not only central governments but also local communities, women, youth, and small-scale producers must participate in the process. A multi-layered and inclusive model of climate governance must be developed. Otherwise, the gap between rhetoric and action will continue to widen.
Over the next five years, it is highly likely that drought-related crises in Africa will intensify. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s 2022 reports, rainfall patterns in both western and eastern Sub-Saharan Africa will significantly deteriorate; the rainy season will start late and be shorter, while drought durations may nearly double.[3] This means not only longer drought periods but also an increase in extreme weather events such as floods, hurricanes, and storms. During this time, increasing migration pressure, a large-scale shift from rural to urban areas, and an ensuing urbanization crisis are anticipated.
Around metropolises such as Lagos, Nairobi, and Addis Ababa, irregular urbanization is likely to increase, infrastructure services may begin to collapse, and new social class conflicts may emerge. Simultaneously, the exploitation of food crises could allow radical groups to regain strength in certain regions, particularly in the Sahel. Therefore, climate-based problems must be evaluated not only environmentally but also in terms of security, politics, and social stability. In this regard, every delayed response to the climate crisis in Africa will bring irreversible consequences not only for human life but also for future generations across the continent.
At this point, the solutions should not be reduced merely to donations, humanitarian aid, or external interventions. It is essential for Africa to establish local solution mechanisms that will unlock its own potential. Methods such as promoting agroecology-based farming models, implementing community-based approaches to water management, and disseminating drought-resistant seeds should be prioritized. Additionally, a new agricultural knowledge system must be developed by synthesizing the efforts of universities, research centers, and local knowledge. The role of the international community should be to support these local efforts and develop financing models in line with climate justice. Africa’s transition from a passive position in global climate governance to an active role would benefit not only the continent itself but the entire world. A climate crisis left unresolved in Africa will manifest in other parts of the world through economic migration, security threats, and global price fluctuations. Therefore, the time has come to see Africa not as a recipient of aid, but as a provider of solutions.
In conclusion, the drought and hunger crisis in Africa is not only the responsibility of the continent’s people but of the entire global system. This crisis is not merely a result of climate conditions but also of collective negligence, global inequalities, and unsustainable development practices. A dried-up well in Somalia today may affect prices on store shelves in Paris. An unplanted field in Zimbabwe may challenge China’s raw material strategy. Thus, Africa’s climate-vulnerability paradox is not only a humanitarian issue but also a geopolitical one. If the world can view Africa not as a region to be helped but as a partner to walk alongside, this crisis may mark the beginning of a new green revival for the continent. Otherwise, Africa may lose not only its future but also the world’s conscience. And in the future, when asked why the world burned, one of the first answers might be: “Because Africa ran dry.”
[1] “Conflict, extreme weather worsening hunger in West, Central Africa, WFP warns”, Reuters, 9 Mayıs 2025, https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/conflict-extreme-weather-worsening-hunger-west-central-africa-wfp-warns-2025-05-09/ (Accessed: 06.07.2025).
[2] “Climate Finance.” United Nations – Climate Action. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/raising-ambition/climate-finance (Accessed: 06.07.2025).
[3] Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2022). Chapter 9: Africa. In H.-O. Pörtner, D. C. Roberts, M. Tignor, vd. (Ed.), Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (AR6 WGII). Cambridge University Press. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/chapter/chapter-9/ (Accessed: 06.07.2025).
