Situation Update
The economic growth for Zimbabwe remain positive, with the government projecting a 3.5% economic growth. However, this projected economic growth might be slowed if the impacts of the drought worsen. According to the African Development Bank (AFDB) Economic Outlook Report of June 2024, growth has slowed to 2% in 2024, which represents a significant decline of 1.6 percentage points from the initially projected growth of 3.6%. This variance has been attributed to several factors, including drought, high commodity prices on local products, and extensive debts.
Emerging evidence on the impacts of the El Niño-induced drought highlights severe consequences for food security in urban areas. The Urban ZimLAC assessment estimates that approximately 1.7 million urban people are food insecure. Estimates for the rural food insecure population are yet to be released.
According to the global UNICEF report of June 2024, around 181 million children worldwide under five years of age – one in four children – are experiencing severe child food poverty, making them up to 50 percent more likely to experience wasting. Among these, 580,000 are Zimbabwean children, a number that could rise due to the ongoing El Niño-induced drought.
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