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Africa Adds 20 Million Children to School Meals as Governments Take the Lead, WFP Reports

WFP attributes the surge to government financing and local procurement.

Elisabeth Rebeccah,22, prepares a meal at the Muchacha primary school after recently fleeing from Shonga village following clashes between M23 rebels and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) in Sake, the Democratic Republic of Congo February 6, 2024. REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi/File Photo
The region saw the biggest rise in school feeding of any region, by nearly a third to 87 million in 2024.

Overview

  • Sub-Saharan Africa expanded government-led school feeding to about 87 million children in 2024, roughly 20 million more in two years and the largest regional increase reported.
  • Ethiopia, Rwanda, Madagascar and Chad recorded some of the fastest growth, with several feeding roughly six times as many children compared with two years earlier.
  • Worldwide, government-run programmes now reach approximately 466 million children, up 20% since 2020, with global funding estimated to have risen from $43 billion to $84 billion.
  • National ownership is reshaping WFP’s role toward technical support and local buying; Kenya fully runs its programme, serving 2.6 million children and targeting 10 million by 2030.
  • Local sourcing is lifting rural economies, with Benin’s purchases contributing over $23 million in 2024 and Burundi reporting 50% income gains for farmers, even as funding gaps and conflict leave many in DRC, Somalia, South Sudan and war-torn Sudan without reliable meals.