Africa Expands School Feeding Programmes, but Coverage Gaps Slow Educational and Economic Gains
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African governments added 20 million beneficiaries to school feeding programmes from 2022 to 2024, raising coverage to 87 million children across 48 countries, though daily access reaches only 20-30% of enrolled learners and under 10% in fragile states. Guinea’s Ministry of Pre-University Education met World Food Programme officials on November 19 to update its national strategy, while Ethiopia and Rwanda lead continental scaling per WFP’s State of School Feeding Worldwide 2024.
A 2021 Public Health Nutrition study of 480 Ethiopian pupils found school meals doubled attendance, cut dropouts sixfold, and boosted performance beyond some teacher training programmes. Benin generated $23 million in local economic value in 2024 via 800% higher smallholder procurement benefiting 23,000 farmers; Malawi yields $35 per $1 invested through supply chains; Burundi saw 50% agricultural income gains across 67 cooperatives and 20,000 members. “A school meal is more than just giving food to a child; it is an investment in the family, the community, and the future of a country,” said WFP Regional Director Eric Perdison. Local procurement links education budgets to agribusiness, creating jobs and reducing import reliance, though infrastructure and fiscal limits constrain low-capacity states.
