Title: Effect of COVID-19 on food security in Sub-Saharan Africa

Authors: Adama Sawadogo; Mohamed Ben Omar Ndiaye; Assane Beye

Addresses: Centre d'Etudes, de Documentation, de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (CEDRES), Université Thomas Sankara, 12 BP 417 Ouagadougou 12, Burkina Faso ' Faculty of Economics and Management, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, B.P. 5005 Dakar-Fann, Senegal ' Faculty of Economics and Management, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, B.P. 5005 Dakar-Fann, Senegal

Abstract: This research aims to analyse the effect of COVID-19 on food security in a sample of 35 Sub-Saharan African countries over the period 2020-2021. We used food security indices from FAOSTAT and the number of people who tested positive for COVID-19 from the World Health Organization. The results are derived from a series of random effects panel models. The results show no statistically significant relationship between COVID-19 and the prevalence of severe food insecurity in the total population at conventional thresholds. However, we notice a significant negative effect on dietary energy supply adequacy. The results of this research suggest that in the event of a health crisis such as COVID-19, policymakers must take measures to limit the spread of the disease, but they must not lose sight of the economic and social impact of the restrictive measures taken.

Keywords: COVID-19; food security; random effects model; Sub-Saharan Africa.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGE.2025.150813

International Journal of Green Economics, 2025 Vol.19 No.3, pp.241 - 255

Received: 02 Jul 2024
Accepted: 09 Sep 2025
Published online: 23 Dec 2025 *

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