Faith Nyasuguta
If you take bread, as most people do, then you must have noticed that the price of the beloved staple has dramatically shot overtime.
In Nigeria for instance, the price of bread jumped by 42% between 2017 and quarter one of 2022, according to data made available by the country’s National Bureau of Statistics. Unfortunately, Nigeria is not the only exception.
In the 2014 eBook “Bread in Africa” which was co-authored by Diane Lyons and Catherine D’Andrea as seen on Springer Nature, it was established that bread is a widely-consumed staple in Africa.
The food is consumed in many different ways across different cultures. For some, it is eaten during breakfast whereas for some, it is dinner. Following this, the item is always in demand.
It is probable that the huge demand is the primary reason why bread prices keep skyrocketing. However beyond that, other macroeconomic factors are also driving prices up. For instance, factors including foreign exchange constraints and the occasional global supply chain strains can present challenges.
You may have heard experts, including the World Bank warning that the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict could potentially exacerbate the food crisis in Africa and elsewhere. The war is particularly impacting bread prices in Africa.
That is because a lot of the grains, including wheat, often used for breadmaking in Africa are imported from Ukraine. The war-torn nation, alongside the aggressor Russia, are among the globe’s largest wheat producers and exporters.
With the war raging in Ukraine and sanctions piling on Russia, wheat export from that region is uncertain in 2022.
Meanwhile, as all brace themselves for potential increases in bread prices, let’s also talk about the current prices. Below are the nine African countries where a loaf of fresh white bread (500g) is most expensive to buy. This list is courtesy of Numbeo, a leading global database of consumer prices.
- Nigeria : A loaf of fresh white bread (500g) costs an average of $1.12 in Nigeria.
- South Africa: A loaf of fresh white bread (500g) costs an average of $0.98 in SA.
- Ghana: A loaf of fresh white bread (500g) goes for an average price of $0.79 in Ghana.
- Mauritius: A loaf of fresh white bread (500g) goes for an average price of $0.71 here.
- Egypt: A loaf of fresh white bread (500g) goes for an average price of $0.60 in Egypt.
- Morocco: A loaf of fresh white bread (500g) goes for an average price of $0.50.
- Kenya: Here, a loaf of fresh white bread (500g) costs an average of $0.47.
- Algeria: A loaf of fresh white bread (500g) goes for an average price of $0.16.
- Tunisia: A loaf of fresh white bread (500g) goes for an average price of $0.13.
1 Comment
Egypt has subsidized bread since 1980s to the tune of $ 5.5 billion per year. Their prices would be way off the roof and that can cause political nightmares.