(Illustration: AFP/VNA)

FAO Forestry Management Officer Kenichi Shono said at the opening session of the fourth World Teak Conference in Accra, the Ghanaian capital, on Monday that 282 million people, more than one-fifth of the population, are facing hunger, due to a combination of factors, including COVID-19, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the climate crisis.

Kenichi said severe drought is also tightening its grip on the continent. He called for more investment in forestry and teak plantation to help relieve the crisis.