Africa food security under threat due to Iran war, trade officials warn

The US-Israel war on Iran is driving fuel and fertiliser costs across Africa, threatening food security, trade officials tell Al Jazeera.

The crisis in the Strait of Hormuz needs to be resolved 'sooner rather than later' to make fertiliser affordable for rural communities, according to a UN senior trade official [File: Hajarah Nalwadda/Getty]

Doha, Qatar – African countries are feeling the economic fallout from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with rising fuel and fertiliser prices threatening to drive up food costs, according to trade ministers from the region and the United Nations’ top trade official.

The crisis around the Strait of Hormuz due to the United States and Israel’s war on Iran needs to be resolved “sooner rather than later”, Luz Maria de la Mora, director of the Division on International Trade and Commodities at UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), told Al Jazeera at the World Investment Forum on Monday. She warned that soaring fertiliser prices could affect harvests next year.

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“Prices of fertilisers have risen dramatically … so many countries have decided to reduce the use of fertilisers, which will have an effect next year in terms of crops,” she said.

“It may have an effect on availability of food and prices of food.”

Luz Maria de la Mora, director of the Division on International Trade and Commodities at UN Trade and Development [Urooba Jamal/Al Jazeera]

The US-Israel war on Iran has highlighted the world’s heavy reliance on the strategic waterway , through which one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade previously passed.

Against this backdrop, Doha hosted UNCTAD’s World Investment Forum on October 25 and 26, bringing together heads of state, policymakers, CEOs and investors to discuss global investment and sustainable development.

The Strait of Hormuz’s disruption has rippled through African economies. In Zimbabwe, rising fuel and fertiliser prices are a critical concern in a country where more than 70 percent of the population depends on agriculture, Monica Mutsvangwa, the country’s minister of women affairs, community, small and medium enterprise development, told Al Jazeera.

Uganda, another heavily agrarian economy, has also been hit, with fuel prices more than doubling, Sanjay Tanna, the country’s minister of trade, industry and cooperatives, told Al Jazeera.

The impact extends beyond the immediate cost of energy. Rising oil prices have disrupted supply chains, with effects lasting longer than anticipated, according to de la Mora.

“The effects are lasting longer than we would have expected or would have wanted,” she said.

‘Friend to all, enemy to none’

The shock has also exposed differences in how African economies weather global disruption.

Uganda’s reliance on subsistence farming has helped cushion the impact, with domestic food production offering some protection from international market volatility, said Tanna.

But the country has not been insulated from financial pressures: its currency has lost 10 percent of its value against the US dollar, the minister said. The Ugandan shilling has steadily declined since mid-2026.

For Zimbabwe, the crisis has reinforced the importance of attracting investment while maintaining economic ties across geopolitical divides.

Monica Mutsvangwa, Zimbabwe’s minister of women affairs, community, small and medium enterprise development [Urooba Jamal/Al Jazeera]

Amid the simmering trade war between the US and China, Harare considers itself a potential partner to investors from either side, Mutsvangwa said.

“We are a friend to all and an enemy to none,” she said.

“Money has no color … If we get an investor who comes into our country, follows the rules and regulations of the country, makes his money, and Zimbabwe develops, that’s what we want.”

The official pointed to Zimbabwe’s deposits of more than 60 critical minerals, including lithium and graphite, as well as its tourism potential.

Trade in an unequal system

But attracting foreign capital remains a challenge for developing economies, with investment concentrated in a relatively small number of countries.

That concentration is “very understandable”, de la Mora said, arguing that investors need confidence that their money will generate returns.

“Capital is risk averse. Capital needs to have certainty that its investment is going to yield returns and it’s going to come to fruition,” she said.

Governments can help build that confidence through transparent institutions, the rule of law and investment in infrastructure, including reliable electricity, energy supplies and digital connectivity, she added.

The question of whether the international trading system treats all countries equally prompted a more blunt assessment from Uganda’s trade minister.

“Of course not,” said Tanna. “The world cannot be equal … It’s unfair, but we believe that, within the space that we are in, we are in a good space.”

Sanjay Tanna, Uganda’s minister of trade, industry and cooperatives [Urooba Jamal/Al Jazeera]

Uganda was well placed for the future, he argued, because it produces its own food – an advantage at a time when international supply chains are under pressure.

For both Uganda and the Republic of Congo, building resilient economies also means investing in younger generations.

The Republic of Congo’s Deputy Prime Minister for Coordination, Development Infrastructure and Land Planning, Jean-Jacques Bouya, said the country had aligned its national development plan, Vision 2063, with the African Union’s broader development ambitions.

Connectivity – through electricity, digital infrastructure and physical links – is central to that strategy, he told Al Jazeera.

The Republic of Congo also wants to expand local processing so that more value from its natural resources remains within the country.

“Africa can no longer be a reservoir of raw materials, and neither can Congo – a place where raw materials are extracted, taken elsewhere, processed and then sold back to us at a much higher price. We cannot go on like this,” Bouya said.

贸易官员告诉半岛电视台，美以对伊朗的战争推高了非洲各地的燃料和化肥价格，威胁到粮食安全。

联合国一位高级贸易官员表示，霍尔木兹海峡危机需要“尽快”解决，才能使农村社区能够负担得起化肥。[图片：Hajarah Nalwadda/Getty]

卡塔尔多哈——据该地区贸易部长和联合国最高贸易官员称，非洲国家正感受到中东持续冲突带来的经济影响，燃料和化肥价格上涨有可能推高食品价格。

联合国贸易和发展会议（贸发会议）国际贸易和商品司司长卢兹·玛丽亚·德拉莫拉周一在世界投资论坛上接受半岛电视台采访时表示，由于美国和以色列对伊朗的战争而引发的霍尔木兹海峡危机需要“尽快”解决。她警告说，化肥价格飙升可能会影响明年的收成。

卡塔尔官员呼吁和平与安全以促进贸易和投资（共4条，此为第1条）

（共 4 条）霍尔木兹海峡船舶航行最糟糕的月份（第 2 条）本文将在新的浏览器窗口中打开

伊朗称，麦加条约成员国同意加强合作（共4项，此为第3项）

问题 4（共 4 个）：巴基斯坦是否已重新开放与伊朗的贸易边境？

“化肥价格大幅上涨……因此许多国家决定减少化肥的使用，这将对明年的农作物产生影响，”她说。

“这可能会对食品供应和食品价格产生影响。”

联合国贸易和发展署国际贸易和商品司司长卢兹·玛丽亚·德拉莫拉 [乌鲁巴·贾迈勒/半岛电视台]

美国和以色列对伊朗的战争凸显了世界对这条战略水道的严重依赖，此前全球五分之一的石油和液化天然气贸易都要经过这条水道。

在此背景下，多哈于 10 月 25 日至 26 日举办了联合国贸发会议世界投资论坛，各国元首、政策制定者、首席执行官和投资者齐聚一堂，讨论全球投资和可持续发展。

霍尔木兹海峡的中断对非洲各国经济产生了连锁反应。津巴布韦妇女事务、社区、中小企业发展部长莫妮卡·穆茨万格瓦告诉半岛电视台，在津巴布韦，超过70%的人口依赖农业，而不断上涨的燃料和化肥价格是该国面临的一个严峻问题。

乌干达是另一个以农业为主的经济体，也受到了冲击，该国贸易、工业和合作部长桑杰·坦纳告诉半岛电视台，燃油价格翻了一番还多。

德拉莫拉表示，其影响远不止于能源成本的直接上涨。油价上涨已经扰乱了供应链，而且其影响持续时间比预期更长。

“这些影响的持续时间比我们预期的或希望的要长，”她说。

“待人友善，不与任何人为敌”

此次冲击也暴露了非洲经济体在应对全球动荡方面的差异。

坦纳表示，乌干达依靠自给自足的农业生产，这有助于缓解冲击，国内粮食生产在一定程度上抵御了国际市场的波动。

但该国也未能幸免于金融压力：这位部长表示，其货币对美元已贬值10%。自2026年年中以来，乌干达先令持续下跌。

对津巴布韦而言，这场危机更加凸显了吸引投资和跨越地缘政治分歧维持经济联系的重要性。

Monica Mutsvangwa，津巴布韦妇女事务、社区、中小企业发展部部长 [Urooba Jamal/半岛电视台]

穆茨万格瓦表示，在中美贸易战愈演愈烈之际，哈拉雷将自己视为双方投资者的潜在合作伙伴。

“我们与所有人为友，不与任何人为敌，”她说。

“金钱没有颜色之分……如果我们能吸引一位投资者来到我们的国家，遵守国家的规章制度，赚取利润，而津巴布韦也因此发展，那正是我们所希望的。”

该官员指出，津巴布韦拥有 60 多种重要矿产资源，包括锂和石墨，并且具有旅游潜力。

在不平等的体系中进行贸易

但对于发展中经济体而言，吸引外国资本仍然是一个挑战，因为投资集中在相对较少的国家。

德拉莫拉表示，这种集中投资“非常容易理解”，他认为投资者需要确信他们的资金能够产生回报。

“资本是厌恶风险的。资本需要确信其投资能够产生回报，并且最终能够实现，”她说道。

她补充说，政府可以通过透明的机构、法治和对基础设施的投资（包括可靠的电力、能源供应和数字连接）来帮助建立这种信心。

关于国际贸易体系是否平等对待所有国家的问题，乌干达贸易部长给出了更为直白的评价。

“当然不是，”坦纳说。“世界不可能完全平等……这不公平，但我们相信，在我们所处的环境中，我们已经处于一个良好的状态。”

乌干达贸易、工业和合作部长桑杰·坦纳 [乌鲁巴·贾迈勒/半岛电视台]

他认为，乌干达未来发展前景良好，因为它能够生产自己的粮食——在国际供应链面临压力的当下，这是一个优势。

对于乌干达和刚果共和国而言，建设具有韧性的经济体也意味着投资于年轻一代。

刚果共和国负责协调、发展基础设施和土地规划的副总理让-雅克·布亚表示，该国已将其国家发展计划“2063年愿景”与非洲联盟更广泛的发展目标相协调。

他告诉半岛电视台，电力、数字基础设施和物理连接等互联互通是该战略的核心。

刚果共和国也希望扩大本地加工，以便让其自然资源的更多价值留在国内。

“非洲不能再仅仅是原材料的储存库，刚果也不能——原材料在这里被开采出来，运往其他地方加工，然后再以更高的价格卖回给我们。我们不能再这样下去了，”布亚说道。