Cape Town: Twenty million more children in Sub-Saharan Africa are now receiving school meals through government-led programs than in 2022.
According to African Press Organization, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has released its latest edition of the State of School Feeding Worldwide, showcasing a 30 percent rise in the number of children benefiting from such initiatives. The report highlights a significant increase in school meal recipients, from 66 million in 2022 to 87 million in 2024, with Chad, Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Rwanda seeing up to a sixfold increase in pupils served.
Government investments in school meals have surged, indicating a shift from dependency on foreign aid to recognizing school meals as a strategic public investment in education, health, and national development. In Benin, locally funded school meals programs have contributed over US$23 million to the economy in 2024, with direct purchases from smallholder farmers increasing by 800 percent, benefiting over 23,000 individuals.
In Burundi, WFP's local food procurement for school meals led to a 50 percent rise in farmers’ incomes in 2024 and created job opportunities in 67 cooperatives with 20,000 members. Meanwhile, in Malawi, every US$1 spent on school meals generated US$8 in economic benefits. Sierra Leone saw 40 percent of its school meal food sourced from smallholder farmers, mainly women and youth, offering a varied diet to students.
In Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, initiatives supported by WFP, The Novo Nordisk Foundation, The Grundfos Foundation, and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs focus on diverse, eco-friendly diets. This includes creating 1,300 school gardens, training 61,500 smallholder farmers in climate-smart agriculture, and equipping schools with fuel-efficient cooking equipment.
Eric Perdison, WFP's Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, emphasized that a meal at school is an investment in families, communities, and a country's future. Local food sourcing supports healthy, culturally appropriate meals while aiding smallholder farmers and driving economic growth.
Despite the progress, millions of children in low-income African countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and South Sudan still lack access to school meals due to limited domestic funding and diminished external support. WFP remains committed to prioritizing these children for direct meal delivery to maintain their access to education and nutrition amid global challenges.
The report's release precedes the second School Meals Coalition Global Summit in Brazil on 18-19 September, where global leaders will convene to evaluate progress and mobilize further action.