Waste Not, Want Not: The innovators and innovations leading the fight against food loss and hunger in West Africa

By some accounts, as much as a third of the food produced in sub-Saharan Africa is lost before it reaches the consumer. That’s enough to feed an additional 300 million people each year. In a region where more than 200 million people suffer from chronic food insecurity, this lends urgency to the old proverb “waste not, want not”. In fact, in any given year post-harvest food losses far exceed international food aid to the continent. It is clear that controlling such waste must be a central part of global efforts to achieve sustainable food security. Through the stories of real people along the food supply chain in West Africa, Margaret’s reporting pinpoints where losses occur and matches problem areas with high-impact solutions.

Margaret Egbula is a journalist and policy analyst with a special interest in global hunger and related issues. Margaret covered numerous famines and food crises around the world during the ten years she spent as a writer and producer for CNN and CNN International. The recurring nature of the tragedies sparked her interest in seeking out and publicizing sustainable solutions to address the root causes of hunger and poverty. From her base in Dakar, Senegal, she writes primarily about regional economic integration, food security and the environment for clients such as the Sahel and West Africa Club of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (SWAC/OECD). Margaret earned her BSc. and MSc. from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She holds a Master in Public Affairs from the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po), where her concentration was Human Security.