FG aims to feed 20m students by 2026

Federal Government Targets 20 Million Children Through School Feeding Initiative

The federal government has set an ambitious goal of reaching 20 million children through the Homegrown School Feeding Programme by 2026. This initiative is being framed not only as a critical educational investment but also as a strategic move for national security. The announcement was made by Vice President Kashim Shettima during the National Policy Forum on the Institutionalisation and Implementation of the Renewed Hope National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, held in Abuja.

The forum was organized by the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion, in partnership with ActionAid Nigeria and other key stakeholders. Representing the Vice President, Dr. Kolade Fasua, Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs, highlighted the significance of the programme under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. He described it as the most extensive expansion in the history of the initiative.

A Dual Objective: Education and Economic Growth

Shettima emphasized that the relaunched programme aims to enhance school enrollment and academic performance while simultaneously creating a stable market for smallholder farmers, women entrepreneurs, and local processors. “This year, the federal government relaunched the Renewed Hope National Homegrown School Feeding Programme, signaling a decisive return to scale and systemization. The programme is designed to boost enrollment and attendance, improve academic performance, and raise smallholder incomes through stable local procurement,” he stated.

In addition to the core programme, the government has launched the Alternate Education and Renewed Hope School Feeding Project. This new initiative targets out-of-school and highly vulnerable children, with the goal of reaching up to 20 million by 2026.

Ensuring Transparency and Accountability

To ensure transparency, the programme integrates the National Identity Management Commission system. This will help guarantee that “real pupils receive real meals, and every naira spent works twice—once for the child, and once for the local economy.” Shettima noted that while sustaining nationwide coverage could cost as much as one trillion naira, the initiative should be viewed as a long-term investment rather than a financial burden.

“Ambition requires investment, and the federal government has acknowledged that sustaining national coverage may require around one trillion naira. But this is not a cost. It is a nation-building investment with high social, economic, and security return. This is why the school feeding must be understood not just as a social intervention but as a national security investment,” he stressed.

Addressing Security and Vulnerability

Shettima pointed out that every hot meal served in a classroom serves multiple purposes. It acts as a barrier against recruitment into violent groups, reinforces the state’s presence, and offers hope in conflict-prone communities. He explained that “a child with knowledge is less vulnerable to exploitation. A farmer linked to a market is less vulnerable to despair. Communities where youth are engaged are less vulnerable to insecurity.”

By integrating micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), women, and vulnerable households into the financial system, the government aims to reduce the shadows where insecurity thrives. When local markets flourish, farmers see demand guarantees, cooks receive fair pay, and women micro-entrepreneurs build assets, the drivers of conflict weaken.

Call for Collaboration and Legal Framework

Shettima urged development partners, private investors, and state governments to align with the federal government’s vision. He stressed that the success of the scheme would be measured not only in hunger-free classrooms but also in safer, more resilient communities.

In his keynote address, the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Tanko Sununu, represented by Mr. Valebtine Ezulu, called for the enactment of a National Home Grown School Feeding Act. This legal framework would provide continuity across political cycles and define federal, state, and local roles within a cost-sharing model.

Ezulu also recommended the development of a nutrition guideline aligned with global best practices to ensure safe and healthy meals for children. “We must work towards enacting a National Home Grown School Feeding Act that guarantees continuity across political cycles, while clearly defining federal, state, and local roles within a cost-sharing framework. A National Nutrition Guideline for Home Grown School Meals, aligned with international best practices, must be developed and enforced to guarantee safe, balanced, and quality meals for every child,” he said.