20 million African children fed through national school meals programmes – WFP
Countries including Chad, Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Rwanda have expanded coverage by as much as six times, demonstrating both increased access and stronger government commitment.
Sub-Saharan Africa has made remarkable strides in ensuring children have access to school meals, with 20 million more pupils benefiting from government-led programmes in 2024 compared to 2022, according to the latest State of School Feeding Worldwide report by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
The number of children receiving meals across the region has risen from 66 million to 87 million, marking the fastest growth globally.
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Countries including Chad, Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Rwanda have expanded coverage by as much as six times, demonstrating both increased access and stronger government commitment.
This growth signals a major shift from dependence on external aid to prioritising domestic investment in school meals as a tool for children’s education, health, and national development.
In several nations, such as Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, Rwanda, and Zambia, school meal programmes are now largely financed from national budgets.
Other countries, including Ethiopia and Burundi, have doubled or tripled their contributions since 2022, while still receiving some support from external partners.
“We are proud that the majority of school meal programmes are funded through domestic budgets. WFP is dedicated to helping national governments expand state-funded school meals, ensuring that no child is left behind," said Margot van der Velden, WFP’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa.
"We need to work together with partners and communities in feeding the future of our children, giving them the chance to grow and thrive.”
School meal programmes that rely on locally sourced food also deliver broader economic and social benefits.
In Benin, government-funded school meals bought locally contributed over $23 million (Sh2.97 billion) to the economy in 2024, with direct purchases from smallholder farmers rising by 800 per cent, benefiting more than 23,000 people.
In Burundi, WFP’s procurement for school meals increased farmers’ incomes by 50 per cent and created jobs in 67 cooperatives involving 20,000 members.
Other countries report similar advantages: in Malawi, every $1 (Sh129) invested in school meals generates $8 (Sh1,000) in economic benefits.
In Sierra Leone, 40 per cent of school meal food came from smallholder farmers, mostly women and youth, providing children with a varied diet including rice, pulses, sweet potatoes, and vegetables.
In Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, WFP, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Grundfos Foundation, and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs are supporting sustainable diets through 1,300 school gardens, training 61,500 farmers in climate-smart agriculture, and supplying schools with fuel-efficient cooking equipment.
“A meal at school is more than just giving food to a child; it is also an investment in the family, the community, and ultimately a country’s future. Sourcing food locally provides healthy, culturally appropriate meals for children while supporting smallholder farmers, driving economic growth and national development,” said Eric Perdison, WFP’s Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa.
However, millions of children, especially in fragile low-income countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and South Sudan, still lack access to school meals due to limited domestic funding and decreasing external support.
WFP continues to prioritise these settings, ensuring children have access to meals that support learning and nutrition despite global uncertainties.
The report is released ahead of the second School Meals Coalition Global Summit in Brazil, scheduled for September 18-19, where global leaders will review progress and mobilise further action to expand school meal coverage worldwide.
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