The escalating Middle East conflict is pushing global energy and food prices higher and disrupting fertilizer supplies to Africa, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Union Commission (AUC) and UN agencies warned on Monday, saying the shock is already straining vulnerable economies.
The institutions said the latest surge in global volatility follows the widening confrontation involving Israel, the United States and Iran whose exchanges of missile and drone strikes in recent weeks have rattled oil markets and heightened fears of a broader regional war.
The Gulf remains a critical transit point for global energy shipments, making the conflict’s spillover effects particularly acute for import‑dependent African economies.
Speaking on the margins of the UN Economic Commission for Africa’s 58th Session in Tangier, the heads of the AfDB, AUC, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) said the conflict is transmitting economic shocks faster than previous global disruptions, leaving governments with little time to respond.
They said global oil prices have risen by more than 50 percent since late March while 29 African currencies have weakened, increasing the cost of servicing external debt and importing food, fuel and fertilizer.
The agencies also warned that disruptions to Gulf energy supply chains are limiting access to ammonia and urea during the crucial March–May planting season, threatening agricultural output and deepening food insecurity for low‑income households.
AUC Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said the continued escalation “worsens global instability, with serious implications for energy markets, food security and economic resilience,” particularly in Africa, where economic pressures remain severe.
UNECA Executive Secretary Claver Gatete said Africa had been hit by “too many external shocks not of its making,” urging decisive action to protect households while accelerating long‑term efforts toward energy security, food sovereignty and financial self‑reliance.
“Crises like this reinforce why Africa must finance more of its own future and strengthen regional solutions that build resilience before the next shock hits,” Gatete said.
UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa Director Ahunna Eziakonwa said the moment “demands leadership” and a mix of policy choices and financing tools to help countries withstand the crisis and emerge more resilient.
“With the right mix of policy choices, financing tools, and political resolve, Africa can weather this shock and emerge more resilient, more self-reliant, and better positioned to shape its own economic future.”
The institutions called for coordinated action across three fronts: immediate measures to stabilise fuel, food and fertilizer supply; medium‑term reforms to strengthen energy security, social protection and regional trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area; and long‑term structural reforms to boost domestic resource mobilisation and establish African‑led financial safety nets.
AfDB President Sidi Ould Tah said Africa must shift from “managing shocks to fostering resilience,” urging development partners to act swiftly and in concert.
“African institutions and development partners need to act swiftly and in concert, leveraging their comparative advantages to cushion short-term shocks while laying the foundations for long-term resilience.”
The agencies said deeper regional integration and investment in energy, food and trade systems would help the continent move from vulnerability to preparedness.
JN/APA