The Economic Communities of West Africa States (ECOWAS) said that it has set aside €4.5m to support the implementation of Home-Grown School Feeding Programme in primary schools in the west African region.
The Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, ECOWAS Commission, Mrs. Massandje Toure-Litse said this at the ‘National Policy Forum on the Institutionalisation and Implementation of Home-Grown School Feeding Programme for Sustainable Economic Growth and Financial Inclusion’ held at the Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The event was organised by the presidential committee on home grown school feeding and supported by ActionAid Nigeria (AAN).
Toure-Litse, who was represented by the Director Agriculture and Rural Development, Alain Traore said: “ECOWAS, with financial support from Spanish cooperation, is implementing the project to promote integrated school feeding models in West Africa (PMAI-AO), worth €4.5 million, the aim of which is to generate promising practices and strategies that can be scaled up and support the sustainability of school feeding programmes in the region.
“Food and nutritional security in general, and school feeding in particular, remains a strategic priority for our organisation, ECOWAS.
“It is at the heart of our regional agricultural policy, particularly through Axis 3, which aims to improve access to food, nutrition and the resilience of vulnerable populations.
“Children’s education is an essential pillar in the development of human capital in West Africa. School feeding based on local production (ASPL) is proving to be a promising approach for achieving this objective.
“It is not simply an isolated initiative; it is a holistic strategy that aims to improve child nutrition and contribute to school performance, support local agriculture, stimulate rural economies and reduce poverty.
“According to data from the Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF), the school feeding situation in the region shows that 25 million children benefited from school canteens in West Africa in 2024, i.e. 32% of children of primary school age.
“This shows that the overall coverage rate is low in the region, despite the efforts made by governments and their partners. Greater political will, large-scale implementation of school feeding programmes, and their sustainability are therefore more than necessary,” Traore said.
Also speaking at the event, Vice President Kashim Shettima, represented by the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs, Dr. Tope Fasua, said that with the relaunch of the programme Nigeria is at the forefront of feeding school children.
“This year, the federal government relaunched the New Hope National Homegrown School Feeding Programme, signalling a decisive return to scale and systemisation.
“The programme is designed to boost enrollment and attendance, improve academic performance, and raise small holder incomes through stable local procurement.
“Across ECOWAS, governments and partners are codifying school feeding into law, financing at scale, and improving delivery standards. Nigeria’s relaunch places us at the forefront of this regional movement, where political commitment, sustainable financing, and multisectoral coordination are the levers that lift outcomes,” he said.
Also speaking, the Minister for State, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and the Chairman of the Steering Committee on Renewed Hope-National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, Dr. Tanko Sununu, represented by Mr Valentine Ezulu noted that the home-grown school feeding programme was not just about feeding children, but about nation-building.
“It is about Education: because a child who is nourished is more attentive, more likely to attend school, and more capable of learning. It is about nutrition and health because regular balanced meals combat malnutrition, stunting, and anemia.”
The ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) Country Director Andrew Mamedu speaking earlier, said that there was need to institutionalise the policy.
“Across Nigeria, too many children still go to school hungry. According to the World Bank’s Human Capital Index, Nigeria scores just 0.36—meaning a child born here today will achieve only 36 per cent of their productive potential if nothing changes.
“The Home-Grown School Feeding Programme is more than a nutrition intervention. It is an education strategy that keeps children in school and helps them learn better.
“When properly institutionalised, the programme will improve nutrition and learning, create jobs, enhance financial inclusion, and build resilience for future generations.”