Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden pledged billions of dollars in additional humanitarian aid to combat Africa's extreme food insecurity, which is more severe and complex than ever before.

According to a White House statement, the United States has offered an additional $2.5 billion in emergency assistance and medium- to long-term food security assistance for robust African agricultural systems and supply markets.

On the last day of a three-day conference in Washington with African leaders from 49 countries and the African Union, Biden stated, "We face a worldwide food crisis, and nowhere is it felt more deeply than on the African continent."

"Today, starvation haunts the Horn of Africa once again. Across the continent, millions of people's lives and livelihoods are being negatively impacted by rising food costs and trade impediments."

Across recent years, food insecurity has intensified in the majority of Africa due to protracted armed conflicts and the effects of climate change, which have caused protracted droughts in some regions and crop-destroying floods in others.

However, the issue was exacerbated by a pandemic-induced economic downturn, growing debt levels, and, more recently, the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which contributed to food, gasoline, and fertiliser price increases.

According to a second White House statement, the United States and African Union on Thursday also launched a strategic collaboration to expedite their work toward food security in the continent and outlined numerous priorities.

The partnership's short-term objectives included exploring strategies for Africa to acquire more diverse and robust sources of grain and fertilizer to satisfy its immediate requirements and delivering humanitarian aid.

Medium- and long-term objectives included finding ways to strengthen Africa's access to global markets, expanding access to fertilizers and their inputs, and diversifying agricultural commodity output.