New York: 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 increasing by over 30 percent from 66 million in 2022 to 87 million in 2024. Countries such as Chad, Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Rwanda have significantly boosted the number of pupils receiving school meals, with increases up to six times their previous numbers.
Government investments in school meals within Sub-Saharan Africa have also risen, marking a shift from reliance on foreign aid to viewing school meals as a strategic public investment in children's education, health, and broader national development. In Benin, government-funded school meals have led to local food purchases contributing over US$23 million to the economy in 2024, with direct purchases from smallholder farmers increasing by 800 percent, benefiting more than 23,000 people.
In Burundi, WFP's local food procurement for school meals resulted in a 50 percent increase in farmers' incomes in 2024, creating employment opportunities across 67 cooperatives with 20,000 members. In Malawi, every US$1 spent on school meals generates US$8 in economic benefits. Sierra Leone saw 40 percent of its school meal food sourced from smallholder farmers, chiefly women and youth, providing a varied diet including rice, pulses, sweet potatoes, and vegetables.
Collaborative efforts in Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, supported by WFP, The Novo Nordisk Foundation, The Grundfos Foundation, and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are fostering diverse, eco-friendly diets for children by establishing 1,300 school gardens, training 61,500 smallholder farmers in climate-smart agriculture, and providing schools with fuel-efficient cooking equipment.
Eric Perdison, WFP's Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, highlighted that a meal at school is more than just food; it is an investment in the family, the community, and a country's future. Locally sourced food offers healthy, culturally appropriate meals for children while supporting smallholder farmers, driving economic growth, and national development.
However, millions of children, particularly in low-income African countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Somalia, and South Sudan, still lack access to school meals due to low domestic funding and reliance on decreasing external donor support. WFP will continue prioritising children in these fragile settings for direct delivery of school meals to safeguard their access to learning and nutrition amid global uncertainty and reduced funding.
The report precedes the second School Meals Coalition Global Summit in Brazil, scheduled for 18-19 September, where leaders will convene to assess progress and mobilize further action.