W’Bank blames dysfunctional ports, logistics systems, others for Africa’s food crisis

• As Shettima highlights Nigeria’s drive for sustainable food systems at UN Summit

The World Bank Group has faulted Africa’s dysfunctional ports, failing logistics systems, poor transport infrastructure, and inadequate storage systems for making basic staples harder to access and more expensive for millions across the continent, leading to food insecurity.

The bank also noted that backlogged ports, impassable rural roads, and cumbersome border processes led to food arriving late, damaged, or not at all.

According to a new report by the World Bank Group titled “The Nexus Between Transport, Logistics, and Food Security in Africa,” cited by The Guardian, ports around Africa suffer from poor infrastructure, outdated logistics management systems, low capacity, and other deficiencies, leading to delays and increased costs in the food supply chains.

The report stated that shipping and ports were indispensable for food security in Africa, with seaports handling 14 per cent of all food imported and traded on the continent, 22 per cent for landlocked countries, and 37 per cent for the lowest-income countries.

The bank noted that while a large portion of the food is imported from Europe, South Asia, and elsewhere, African ports represented the first barrier to food security around the continent, leading to delays and increased costs.

The report stated that while many African ports lacked facilities and equipment to handle agricultural commodities, just 10 critical seaports handle the equivalent of 78 billion kilocalories yearly.

They include Abidjan and San-Pédro (Côte d’Ivoire), Banjul (The Gambia), Cotonou (Benin), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Djibouti (Djibouti), Mogadishu (Somalia), Mombasa (Kenya), Port Sudan (Sudan), and Toamasina (Madagascar).

The report further highlighteda poor road network, stating that once those commodities arrive and pass the different hurdles plaguing effective and efficient delivery through Africa’s ports, they face a tangled web of routes and connections.

THE unfavourable World Bank’s report was released, as Vice President Kashim Shettima departed Abuja for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he would represent Nigeria at the second United Nations (UN) Food Systems Summit, held from July 27 to 29, 2025.

At the summit, Shettima is expected to spotlight Nigeria’s national agenda for sustainable food systems, showcasing efforts to transform agriculture, improve food security, and build climate-resilient value chains.

He will join other global leaders and stakeholders at the high-level gathering aimed at reviewing progress since the inaugural 2021 summit and accelerating commitments towards inclusive, resilient, and sustainable food systems globally.

A major highlight of the summit is the thematic focus on advancing the coffee value chain in Africa, with discussions anchored on innovation, investment, and partnerships.

Nigeria’s participation will be anchored on strengthening collaborations, attracting responsible investments, and promoting home-grown models for sustainable agricultural transformation.

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