The Federal Government is set to relaunch the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, NHGSFP, to mark President Bola Tinubu’s second year in office.
The initiative, announced by Dr. Yusuf Sununu, Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, targets 10 million children in public primary schools (Primary One to Three) across Nigeria.
The goal is to combat child hunger, improve nutrition, increase school enrolment by 20 percent, and enhance academic performance by 15 percent by 2025.
Designed to provide daily nutritious meals made from locally sourced ingredients, the programme also aims to support smallholder farmers, empower women, and reduce malnutrition. With over 30 million Nigerians projected to face hunger, the government views the initiative as a crucial intervention in tackling both food insecurity and low school retention rates.
Sununu emphasized transparency, accountability, and collaboration as key pillars of the relaunch. He called for community ownership, active parental participation, and training for cooks to ensure long-term success.
Development partners such as the AMA Foundation and private firms like Tetra Pak have pledged support, while N100 billion has been allocated in the 2025 budget to expand the programme’s reach and deepen community impact.
Dr. Aderemi Adebowale, National Programme Manager of RH-NHGSFP, described the feeding programme as an investment in Nigeria’s future. Beyond feeding, it includes empowering women, youth, and local farmers through inclusive, sustainable practices. New reforms include QR-coded supply chains and real-time tracking systems to improve monitoring, quality control, and transparency.
Adebowale also noted that between 2018 and 2022, the programme led to improved child nutrition and increased school attendance, though it faced challenges in supply chain coordination and farmer participation.
Going forward, health professionals and nutritionists will be involved in monitoring food quality and assessing health outcomes among pupils.
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