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UN: SDG 2, Zero Hunger may not be Achieved in 2030

UN: SDG 2, Zero Hunger may not be Achieved in 2030
***1/5th of Africans Faced Hunger in 2023
By: Michael Mike
The World is at the risk of not achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 and Zero Hunger by 2030.
The annual report, launched this year in the context of the G20 Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty Task Force Ministerial Meeting in Brazil, issued by five United Nations (UN) agencies has warned.
The report which showed that the world has been set back 15 years, with levels of undernourishment comparable to those in 2008-2009, disclosed that around 733 million people faced hunger in 2023, equivalent to one in eleven people globally and one in five in Africa, according to the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) published on Wednesday by five United Nations specialized agencies.
A statement on Thursday by the United Nations agencies said despite some progress in specific areas such as stunting and exclusive breastfeeding, an alarming number of people continue to face food insecurity and malnutrition as global hunger levels have plateaued for three consecutive years, with between 713 and 757 million people undernourished in 2023—approximately 152 million more than in 2019 when considering the mid-range (733 million).
The statement said: “Regional trends vary significantly: the percentage of the population facing hunger continues to rise in Africa (20.4 percent), remains stable in Asia (8.1 percent)—though still representing a significant challenge as the region is home to more than half of those facing hunger worldwide —and shows progress in Latin America (6.2 percent). From 2022 to 2023, hunger increased in Western Asia, the Caribbean, and most African subregions.
“If current trends continue, about 582 million people will be chronically undernourished in 2030, half of them in Africa, warn the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organisation (WHO). This projection closely resembles the levels seen in 2015 when the Sustainable Development Goals the were adopted, marking a concerning stagnation in progress.”
The report highlighted that access to adequate food remains elusive for billions. In 2023, around 2.33 billion people globally faced moderate or severe food insecurity, a number that has not changed significantly since the sharp upturn in 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Among those, over 864 million people experienced severe food insecurity, going without food for an entire day or more at times.
The report added that this number has remained stubbornly high since 2020 and while Latin America showed improvement, broader challenges persist, especially in Africa where 58 percent of the population is moderately or severely food insecure.
“The lack of economic access to healthy diets also remains a critical issue, affecting over one-third of the global population. With new food price data and methodological improvements, the publication reveals that over 2.8 billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2022. This disparity is most pronounced in low-income countries, where 71.5 percent of the population cannot afford a healthy diet, compared to 6.3 percent in high-income countries. Notably, the number dropped below pre-pandemic levels in Asia and in Northern America and Europe, while it increased substantially in Africa.
“While progress has been made in increasing exclusive breastfeeding rates among infants to 48%, achieving global nutrition targets will be a challenge. Low birthweight prevalence has stagnated around 15%, and stunting among children under five, while declining to 22.3%, still falls short of achieving targets. Additionally, the prevalence of wasting among children has not seen significant improvement while anaemia in women aged 15 to 49 years has increased,” the report further said.
According to the report: “Similarly, new estimates of adult obesity show a steady increase over the last decade, from 12.1 percent (2012) to 15.8 percent (2022). Projections indicate that by 2030, the world will have more than 1.2 billion obese adults. The double burden of malnutrition – the co-existence of undernutrition together with overweight and obesity – has also surged globally across all age groups. Thinness and underweight have declined in the last two decades, while obesity has risen sharply.
“These trends underscore the complex challenges of malnutrition in all its forms and the urgent need for targeted interventions as the world is not on track to reach any of the seven global nutrition targets by 2030, the five agencies indicate.
“Food insecurity and malnutrition are worsening due to a combination of factors, including persisting food price inflation that continues to erode economic gains for many people in many countries. Major drivers like conflict, climate change, and economic downturns are becoming more frequent and severe. These issues, along with underlying factors such as unaffordable healthy diets, unhealthy food environments and persistent inequality, are now coinciding simultaneously, amplifying their individual effects.”
This year’s report’s theme “Financing to end hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition’’, emphasized that achieving SDG 2 Zero Hunger requires a multi-faceted approach, including transforming and strengthening agrifood systems, addressing inequalities, and ensuring affordable and accessible healthy diets for all. It calls for increased and more cost-effective financing, with a clear and standardized definition of financing for food security and nutrition.
The heads of the five UN agencies, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu; IFAD President Alvaro Lario; UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell; WFP’s Executive Director Cindy McCain; and WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus write in the report’s Foreword: “Estimating the gap in financing for food security and nutrition and mobilizing innovative ways of financing to bridge it must be among our top priorities. Policies, legislation and interventions to end hunger and ensure all people have access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food (SDG Target 2.1), and to end all forms of malnutrition (SDG Target 2.2) need significant resource mobilization. They are not only an investment in the future, but our obligation. We strive to guarantee the right to adequate food and nutrition of current and future generations”.
The statement said, as highlighted during a recent event in the High-Level Political Forum at UN headquarters in New York, the report underscores that the looming financing gap necessitates innovative, equitable solutions, particularly for countries facing high levels of hunger and malnutrition exacerbated by climate impacts.
It said: “Countries most in need of increased financing face significant challenges in access. Among the 119 low- and middle-income countries analyzed, approximately 63 percent have limited or moderate access to financing. Additionally, the majority of these countries (74 percent) are impacted by one or more major factors contributing to food insecurity and malnutrition. Coordinated efforts to harmonize data, increase risk tolerance, and enhance transparency are vital to bridge this gap and strengthen global food security and nutrition frameworks.
The FAO Director-General, Qu Dongyu said: “Transforming agrifood systems is more critical than ever as we face the urgency of achieving the SDGs within six short years. FAO remains committed to supporting countries in their efforts to eradicate hunger and ensure food security for all. We will work together with all partners and with all approaches, including the G20 Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, to accelerate the needed change. Together, we must innovate and collaborate to build more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems that can better withstand future challenges for a better world.”
IFAD President, Alvaro Lario: “The fastest route out of hunger and poverty is proven to be through investments in agriculture in rural areas. But the global and financial landscape has become far more complex since the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted in 2015. Ending hunger and malnutrition demands that we invest more – and more smartly. We must bring new money into the system from the private sector and recapture the pandemic-era appetite for ambitious global financial reform that gets cheaper financing to the countries who need it most.”
UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell: “Malnutrition affects a child’s survival, physical growth, and brain development. Global child stunting rates have dropped by one third, or 55 million, in the last two decades, showing that investments in maternal and child nutrition pay off. Yet globally, one in four children under the age of five suffers from undernutrition, which can lead to long-term damage. We must urgently step-up financing to end child malnutrition. The world can and must do it. It is not only a moral imperative but also a sound investment in the future.”
WFP Executive Director, Cindy McCain: “A future free from hunger is possible if we can rally the resources and the political will needed to invest in proven long-term solutions. I call on G20 leaders to follow Brazil’s example and prioritize ambitious global action on hunger and poverty. “We have the technologies and know-how to end food insecurity – but we urgently need the funds to invest in them at scale. WFP is ready to step up our collaboration with governments and partners to tackle the root causes of hunger, strengthen social safety nets and support sustainable development so every family can live in dignity.”
WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “The progress we have made on reducing stunting and improving exclusive breastfeeding shows that the challenges we face are not insurmountable. We must use those gains as motivation to alleviate the suffering that millions of people around the world endure every day from hunger, food insecurity, unhealthy diets and malnutrition. The substantial investment required in healthy, safe and sustainably produced food is far less than the costs to economies and societies if we do nothing.”
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World is an annual report jointly prepared by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Since 1999, it has monitored and analysed the world’s progress towards ending hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition. It also provides an in-depth analysis of key challenges for achieving these goals in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The report targets a wide audience, including policymakers, international organizations, academic institutions and the general public.
This year’s theme is timely and relevant in the run-up to the Summit of the Future, and the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in 2025.
UN: SDG 2, Zero Hunger may not be Achieved in 2030
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DSS files five-count charge against Sowore, X and Meta

DSS files five-count charge against Sowore, X and Meta
By: Zagazola Makama
The Department of State Services (DSS) has filed a five-count criminal charge against presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, and two social media companies, X Corp and Meta Incorporation, before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
Zagazola reports that the charges followed Sowore’s refusal to delete alleged false and inciting posts about President Bola Tinubu from his verified X and Facebook accounts.
The DSS had, on Sept. 8, issued a one-week ultimatum to Sowore to remove the posts, which it described as “false, malicious, and inciting.” The ultimatum expired without compliance. X Corp and Meta, owners of X and Facebook, also declined a DSS request to deactivate Sowore’s accounts.
The charges were filed on behalf of the DSS and the Federal Government by M.B. Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice, and four other counsel to the DSS – M.E. Ernest, U.B. Bulla, Dr. C.S. Eze, and E.G. Orubor.
According to the charge sheet, Sowore, on Aug. 25 and 26, 2025, allegedly published posts on his official handles describing President Tinubu as a “criminal” and accusing him of lying about corruption in Nigeria during an official trip to Brazil.
The DSS said Sowore knew the claims were false but circulated them to incite disorder and disaffection among Nigerians.
One of the counts read: “That you, Omoyele Sowore, adult male, on or about the 25th day of August, 2025, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did use your official X handle page, @YeleSowore, to send out a message which you know to be false but posted for the purpose of causing a breakdown of law and order in the country, especially among individuals who hold divergent views on the personality of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR), thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 24 (1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024.”
The second count alleged that Sowore repeated the same post on his official Facebook account on Aug. 26, in breach of the same cybercrime law.
The third and fourth counts accused him of publishing defamatory material against the person and office of the President on both X and Facebook, contrary to Section 375 of the Criminal Code Act.
The fifth count alleged that Sowore, with intent to cause fear and public disturbance, published false information on both platforms, an offence contrary to Section 59 of the Criminal Code Act.
The DSS maintained that the posts were capable of undermining national security and causing a breakdown of public order.
Zagazola reports that the case is expected to be assigned to a trial judge for hearing in Abuja.
DSS files five-count charge against Sowore, X and Meta
News
Two notorious bandits neutralized in Katsina forest by troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA

Two notorious bandits neutralized in Katsina forest by troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA have neutralized two notorious bandits in Dutsen Ma, Katsina State, during an operation to curb criminal activities in the area.
Zagazola learnt that the bandits, identified as Iliya and Dan Yahaya of Banga, were reportedly responsible for multiple attacks and led criminal operations in Rafi Forest, Wonaka, Gusau Local Government Area, Zamfara State.
They were key commanders in the gang led by Alhaji Ummaru Dan Najeriya.
The sources confirmed that the operation was carried out following credible intelligence on the bandits’ movement and that further patrols and monitoring have been intensified in the region to prevent any resurgence of criminal activities.
Two notorious bandits neutralized in Katsina forest by troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA
News
Bandits Kingpin Leading Peace Deal, Ado Allero, Slaughter Traditional ruler in Tsafe, Zamfara

Bandits Kingpin Leading Peace Deal, Ado Allero, Slaughter Traditional ruler in Tsafe, Zamfara
By: Zagazola Makama
Armed bandits led by Ado Allero, a top Bandit Kingpin Leading in the Peace Dialogue in the North West have slaughtered traditional ruler in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, in a shocking escalation of violence in the North West region.
Intel reports indicate that at about 1609hrs on September 15, a gang led by Ado Allero slaughtered a traditional ruler, the Hakimi of Dogon Dawa, in Keta village, Tsafe Local Government Area, Zamfara State. The same group who reportedly kidnapped 40 civilians from a mosque in the LGA.
The attack, described as brutal and unprovoked, also saw 40 civilians abducted from a local mosque in the area.
The sources further revealed that the bandits have continued their campaign of terror, killing four farmers in Barikin Daji, Ruwan Gizo, Zamfara State, and two Customs officers in Fingilla village, Dandi Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
Zagazola report that Armed bandits in the North West have continued to terrorize communities across the North West, killing, kidnapping, and maiming civilians, amidst the highly publicized peace dialogue in Faskari, Katsina State, aimed at ending banditry in the region.
While the peace deal was taking place, bandit were said to have ambushed a convoy of the Commanding Officer of 382 Army Regiment at Ruwan Godiya crossing point along Sheme- Kankara Road in Katsina, but the attack was successfully repelled. Same day, the troops of 17 Brigade ambushed some bandits near Gatawa village in Kankara LGA, recovering motorcycle and mobile phone. Again, troops repel bandits attack at Sabon Massallaci village, Katera ward of Kankara LGA, they later move toward Gidan Dufe village in the same LGA, kill one woman, injuring several and rustling livestock.
On the same day, bandit ambushed NSCDC personnel along at Dafa village Yantumaki- Danmusa road killing one and inuring four other officers.
In the same vain, the bandits strikes and abducted 12 people in Godai village in Bukuyum, in Zamfara state. They abducted another four in Tudun Moriki.
In Kebbi State, another armed gang, known as the Lakurawa group, killed two Customs officers in Fingilla village, Dandi Local Government Area. Further, four civilians were reportedly shot dead while harvesting crops in Barikin Daji around Ruwan Gizo, Zamfara State.
Allero, the notorious bandit kingpin, had on Sunday expressed optimism that peace would be restored in Katsina State, Zamfara and beyond following the dialogue in Faskari. He claimed that previous disruptions of peace initiatives, including the arrest of his son, had led him to resume criminal activities.
Despite the claims of a “historic” and inclusive dialogue, the spate of attacks had continued by the bandits.
Bandits Kingpin Leading Peace Deal, Ado Allero, Slaughter Traditional ruler in Tsafe, Zamfara
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