Why does Africa import a lot of food?
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2022 has seen record food prices. Many African countries have been badly hit because they import their staples \\u2013 wheat, rice and oil. A lack of infrastructure and capacity in some countries means that food grown in Africa is often not processed into packaged food products, instead those items are imported from outside of the continent.
In this programme we speak to two women who run food businesses in Zambia and Ghana, to talk about the impact of rising food costs, and whether this year\\u2019s food crisis could be the impetus for Africa to be more self-sufficient. Ruth Alexander is joined by Monica Musonda, founder and CEO of Java Foods, which manufactures fortified noodles and cereal products in Zambia and Yvette Ansah who owns two restaurants, Caf\\xe9 Kwae and Kwae Terrace in Accra, Ghana, BBC West Africa business reporter Nkechi Ogbonna joins from Nigeria, Africa\\u2019s biggest economy by gross domestic product to talk about the impact of rising food costs there.
Presented by Ruth Alexander.
Produced by Beatrice Pickup.
(Image: aerial view of a large ship transporting rice, unloading cargo onto smaller ships. Credit: Getty/BBC)
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