African Trade Officials Warn Iran War Is Pushing Up Fuel and Fertiliser Costs, Threatening Food Security

African economies are absorbing the economic shock of the conflict in the Middle East, with higher fuel and fertiliser prices threatening to push up food costs, according to trade ministers from the region and a senior United Nations trade official.

Luz Maria de la Mora, director of the Division on International Trade and Commodities at UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), said the crisis around the Strait of Hormuz, caused by the war the United States and Israel launched on Iran, must be resolved "sooner rather than later." She spoke to Al Jazeera at the World Investment Forum in Doha on Monday, October 26.

De la Mora warned that sharply higher fertiliser prices could hit crop yields. "Prices of fertilisers have risen dramatically," she said, adding that many countries have chosen to cut fertiliser use, which will affect crops next year and "may have an effect on availability of food and prices of food." She also said the effects on supply chains from rising oil prices have lasted longer than expected.

The strait was previously the route for one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade, and the conflict has exposed how heavily the world depends on it. UNCTAD's forum, held in Doha on October 25 and 26, brought together heads of state, policymakers, chief executives and investors to discuss global investment and sustainable development.

In Zimbabwe, where more than 70 percent of the population depends on agriculture, rising fuel and fertiliser costs are a serious worry, said Monica Mutsvangwa, the minister of women affairs, community, small and medium enterprise development. Uganda has seen fuel prices more than double, according to its trade minister, Sanjay Tanna.

Tanna said Uganda's reliance on subsistence farming has softened the blow by offering some protection from volatile international markets. Even so, the Ugandan shilling has lost 10 percent of its value against the US dollar, and it has been sliding steadily since mid-2026.

Mutsvangwa said Zimbabwe wants to attract investment while keeping ties on all sides of geopolitical divides, including amid the trade war between the US and China. "We are a friend to all and an enemy to none," she said. She pointed to the country's deposits of more than 60 critical minerals, including lithium and graphite, and its tourism potential.

De la Mora acknowledged that foreign capital is concentrated in a small number of countries, calling that "very understandable" because "capital is risk averse." She said governments can build investor confidence through transparent institutions, the rule of law, and infrastructure such as reliable electricity, energy supplies and digital connectivity.

Asked whether the global trading system treats countries equally, Tanna replied: "Of course not." He said the world cannot be equal, but argued Uganda is well placed because it produces its own food.

Jean-Jacques Bouya, the Republic of Congo's Deputy Prime Minister for Coordination, Development Infrastructure and Land Planning, said his country has aligned its national plan with the African Union's Vision 2063 and is prioritising connectivity. He said Congo wants more local processing so that value stays at home: "Africa can no longer be a reservoir of raw materials."