(Business in Cameroon) - According to the strategic review of food and nutrition security in Cameroon, 9.6% of the population is affected by this issue, we learned during a ceremony for the presentation of this document, meant to better direct the interventions of the State and its partners in the process to eradicate hunger in the country by 2030.

Statistics on food insecurity in Cameroon reveal that the Far North region is the most affected, with 35% of the population suffering from malnutrition, against 0.7% in the South-West, 2% in the North-West, 3% in the Central region and 4% in the Littoral region. The situation has worsened over the past 3 years in this northern Cameroon region, due to the crimes committed by the Islamist sect Boko Haram, pushing the population to abandon their fields to escape death.

“It appears from this study that there is a real need to continue supporting the efforts of the government in the fight against poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition”, commented Abdoulaye Blade, Resident-Representative of the World Food Program (WFP) in Cameroon.

Despite this bleak situation, the 2016 Global Hunger Index ranked Cameroon among the countries who managed to lower by more than 45% the proportion of the population victim of malnutrition during the past 15 years. This performance had already by applauded by FAO in June 2015.

Indeed, this specialised United Nations organisation awarded, on 8 June 2015, a degree to the Cameroonian ministry of Agriculture, for succeeding in reaching the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG) before the 2015 deadline.

BRM