By Abdullahi Lukman
Disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could worsen food insecurity in Nigeria and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa by restricting fertilizer supplies and increasing energy costs, the United States has warned.
The warning was issued at a United Nations Security Council open debate on food insecurity in New York, where the US Mission to the UN’s Alternative Representative for Special Political Affairs, Ambassador Jennifer Locetta, said attacks and disruptions along the strategic waterway were threatening the movement of oil and agricultural inputs.
Locetta said the Strait of Hormuz handles a significant share of global oil and fertilizer shipments, making prolonged disruption capable of triggering higher production and food costs in vulnerable countries.
She warned that reduced fertilizer supplies could lower agricultural output in the coming months, leading to higher food prices and increased hunger in countries including Nigeria, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The US envoy also said rising fuel costs were putting additional pressure on humanitarian operations in conflict-affected areas, while the World Food Programme had projected that another 45 million people could face acute food insecurity globally as a result of the crisis.
Nigeria is particularly exposed to disruptions in global agricultural supply chains because it relies heavily on imported farm inputs. About 70 per cent of the country’s fertilizer and other critical agricultural inputs are sourced from abroad.
The country is already facing high food prices, insecurity in farming communities, rising transportation costs, flooding and the economic effects of the 2023 fuel subsidy removal.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that food inflation stood at 22.22 per cent in July 2026, while the UN Cadre Harmonisé projected that more than 31 million Nigerians could face acute food insecurity between June and August 2026 without urgent intervention.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Food Programme have also warned that fertilizer shortages and higher diesel costs are increasing pressure on Nigerian farmers. Some smallholder farmers are reportedly reducing cultivated land or switching to crops requiring fewer inputs, raising concerns about agricultural production in the 2026/2027 farming season.
Locetta said climate-related events, including El Niño, could further worsen food insecurity, while conflicts in Sudan and the DRC were already restricting humanitarian access.
She reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to tackling hunger under UN Security Council Resolution 2417 and disclosed that the US had pledged more than $1 billion to UNICEF and the World Food Programme for humanitarian, nutrition and food-security programmes.
The warning comes amid growing concerns that tensions involving Iran and Israel and continued disruptions to Middle Eastern shipping routes could prolong the global food crisis into 2027, with sub-Saharan Africa among the regions most at risk.
