The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development - Unctad has said the lingering food crisis in Africa will be re- examined at the executive session of trade and development board of Unctad.

In a statement, Unctad says food security remains a concern on the African continent as prices of food stuffs are still high yet funds for agricultural development are not forthcoming.

It says the food crisis that preceded the global financial downturn is still being experienced in Africa, and must not be ignored as governments focus on world economic difficulties.

The meeting to be addressed by Akinwumi Adesina, the Vice-President for Policy and Partnerships of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa indicates that more than 300 million Africans are chronically hungry.

The UN body says decades-long national and international neglect of the African agricultural sector has transformed many countries from net food exporters to net food importers, leaving them vulnerable to price swings and variations in global crop yields.

African countries currently import about 25% of their food.

Currently, UNCTAD says, Africa's already lagging agricultural productivity is being outstripped by population growth, urbanization, and changes in dietary patterns.

The funding necessary to carry out vital agricultural reforms is hard to come by when governments are strapped for cash during the financial crisis.

Unctad says job losses and declining incomes because of the crisis are making it harder for African families to afford food even at the current, somewhat-lower prices.

The vulnerability of the continent to serious food shortages and hunger remains, since the root causes have not been resolved, and a repeat of the 2008 food crisis could recur if prices for such staples as rice, wheat, corn, and cooking oil climb again on world markets.