Nairobi: Twenty million more children in Sub-Saharan Africa are now receiving school meals through government-led programmes than in 2022, according to the latest edition of the State of School Feeding Worldwide, a flagship global biennial report released today by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
According to African Press Organization, the African continent has seen the most significant rise of any region, with the number of children receiving school meals rising by over 30 percent from 66 million in 2022 to 87 million in 2024. Countries like Chad, Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Rwanda have increased the number of pupils receiving school meals by up to six times. This rise in government investments in school meals signals a shift from reliance on foreign aid to recognising school meals as a strategic investment in children's education, health, and broader national development.
In Benin, government-funded school meals have contributed over US$23 million to the economy in 2024 through local food purchasing. This has led to an 800 percent increase in direct purchases from smallholder farmers, benefiting more than 23,000 people. Similarly, in Burundi, WFP's local food procurement for school meals resulted in a 50 percent increase in farmers' incomes in 2024 and created employment opportunities across 67 cooperatives with 20,000 members.
Malawi has seen significant economic benefits from school meals, with every US$1 spent generating US$8 in economic benefits. In Sierra Leone, 40 percent of the food for school meals last year came from smallholder farmers, primarily women and youth, offering a varied diet including rice, pulses, sweet potatoes, and vegetables.
Efforts are also underway in Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, where WFP, The Novo Nordisk Foundation, The Grundfos Foundation, and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs are supporting diverse, eco-friendly diets for children through initiatives such as creating school gardens, training smallholder farmers in climate-smart agriculture, and supplying schools with fuel-efficient cooking equipment.
Eric Perdison, WFP's Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, emphasized that a meal at school is not just about feeding a child, but an investment in the family, community, and a country's future. He highlighted that sourcing food locally supports smallholder farmers and drives economic growth and national development.
Despite these advancements, millions of children, especially in low-income countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and South Sudan, still lack access to school meals due to low domestic funding and reliance on decreasing external donor support. WFP is committed to prioritizing children in these fragile settings for direct delivery of school meals to ensure their access to learning and nutrition amid global uncertainty and reduced funding.
The report comes ahead of the second School Meals Coalition Global Summit in Brazil on 18-19 September, where leaders will assess progress and mobilize further action.