School Meals Reach 87M Children in Sub-Saharan Africa, Up 30% Since 2022

A major milestone has been achieved in Sub-Saharan Africa as 20 million more children are now receiving school meals compared to 2022, according to the State of School Feeding Worldwide 2024, a biennial flagship report released by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

The continent recorded the largest growth of any region, with school meal coverage rising by more than 30 percent—from 66 million children in 2022 to 87 million in 2024. Several countries, including Chad, Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Rwanda, have expanded their programmes at unprecedented levels, in some cases increasing the number of pupils receiving meals sixfold.

Shift Toward Government Leadership

The report highlights a transformative shift: African governments are increasingly funding school meals through domestic budgets rather than relying primarily on foreign aid. Countries such as Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, Rwanda, and Zambia now finance their programmes almost entirely from national resources.

Meanwhile, Ethiopia and Burundi have significantly scaled up their contributions—doubling and tripling domestic funding since 2022—though they still receive partial external support. This trend, according to WFP, represents a recognition by governments that school meals are not just a humanitarian intervention but a strategic public investment in education, nutrition, and socio-economic development.

“We are proud that the majority of school meal programmes are funded through domestic budgets,” 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.”

Economic and Agricultural Impact

Beyond improving children’s health and school attendance, home-grown school feeding programmes are proving to be powerful drivers of local economies, agricultural resilience, and climate-smart food production.

• Benin: Government-funded school meals injected over US$23 million into the local economy in 2024. Direct procurement from smallholder farmers rose by 800 percent, benefiting more than 23,000 individuals.

• Burundi: Local food purchases for school meals boosted farmers’ incomes by 50 percent in 2024 and created jobs across 67 farmer cooperatives, with more than 20,000 members.

• Malawi: For every US$1 spent on school meals, an estimated US$8 in economic returns is generated through improved productivity, better learning outcomes, and stronger agricultural markets.

• Sierra Leone: In 2024, 40 percent of food used in school meals came from smallholder farmers, particularly women and youth. Children benefitted from diverse diets including rice, pulses, sweet potatoes, and vegetables.

• Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda: Supported by WFP, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Grundfos Foundation, and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, programmes established 1,300 school gardens, trained 61,500 farmers in climate-smart agriculture, and provided schools with fuel-efficient cooking technologies.

According to Eric Perdison, WFP’s Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, school meals extend benefits well beyond classrooms: “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 while supporting farmers and driving national development.”

Persistent Gaps in Fragile States

Despite this progress, millions of children in low-income and fragile countries—such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Somalia, and South Sudan—still lack consistent access to school meals. Many of these programmes remain heavily reliant on external donors, whose funding has declined amid global economic uncertainty.

WFP emphasized that it will continue to directly deliver meals in these contexts to ensure children in crisis settings do not lose access to both nutrition and education.

Global Momentum Ahead of Brazil Summit

The release of this report comes just before the second School Meals Coalition Global Summit, scheduled for 18–19 September 2025 in Brazil. Leaders from across the world will assess recent progress, share best practices, and work to close funding gaps that leave the most vulnerable children behind.

The African success story demonstrates that with political will, domestic investment, and partnerships, school meals can transform education systems, strengthen food security, and fuel economic growth. Yet the challenge remains to ensure every child, regardless of where they live, has access to at least one nutritious meal a day at school.