Key Insights: School Meal Programs in Africa

Blog by Alissa Rutkowski, GCNF Communications Coordinator

According to the latest School Meal Programs Around the World report, 82.2 million children across Africa received school meals in the 2022 school year. This remarkable reach is especially meaningful as we celebrate the 10th African Day of School Feeding and reflect on a decade of progress in strengthening education, nutrition, and economic development through these vital programs.

The third School Meal Programs Around the World report, published by the Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF), presents key findings from the 2024 Global Survey of School Meal Programs ©.

Africa’s school meal programs lead in several areas, including:

80% of African countries have a national budget line item dedicated to school feeding: Predictable funding helps ensure that millions of children can receive school meals year after year.
63% of programs exhibit 4 or more Home-Grown School Feeding indicators: African nations are at the forefront of preferential treatment of small-scale farmers, providing additional support to small-scale farmers, and reducing miles traveled by food.
91% of African countries have a national school feeding policy: On average, countries with a national school feeding policy reach 10% more school-aged children.

Across Africa, school meal programs are making an impact:

In Mauritania, entrance examination success rates were higher in schools with canteens.
Uganda’s program mobilized communities, especially women farmers, to produce nutrient-rich foods like iron-rich beans and sweet potatoes.
In Morocco, produce from school gardens was used to anchor an environmental education program.

This decade of commitment reflects the power of school meals to transform lives and communities. For deeper dive into school meal programs across the continent, explore GCNF’s Country Reports and School Meal Programs in Africa infographic highlighting key successes and opportunities.

About GCNF

The Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF) is a US-based 501(c)3 organization founded in 2006 that envisions a future where school meals sustainably nourish all children and help them, their families, communities, and nations to thrive.

GCNF provides governments and their partners with knowledge, tools, and connections so all children can access high-quality school meal programs that contribute to national educational, agricultural, economic, social protection, health and nutrition goals.