Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal on Thursday launched a pilot school feeding programme aimed at curbing the growing number of out-of-school children in the state.
The initiative, flagged off at Dan-Turai Primary School in Gusau, the state capital, is part of the administration’s broader effort to overhaul basic education and address hunger and malnutrition among school-aged children.
In a statement by his spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, Governor Lawal described the school feeding programme as a key strategy to boost enrolment, improve attendance, and enhance pupil retention across Zamfara’s public schools.
“This initiative reflects our commitment to reversing years of decline in the education sector. We are partnering with the World Bank through the AGILE programme and UNICEF to expand access to quality education,” the governor said.
Lawal disclosed that the state Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, in collaboration with UNICEF, has constituted a technical committee tasked with identifying out-of-school children in all 14 local government areas and facilitating their reintegration into formal education.
He also revealed ongoing partnerships with non-governmental organisations, including the International Centre for Economic Development (ICED) and FINPACT Development Foundation, to support the pilot phase of the programme.
According to him, FINPACT will sponsor the feeding of 1,000 pupils in Gusau, Maru, Anka, and Talatar Mafara LGAs, while ICED will cater for 3,300 pupils across Gusau, Shinkafi, and Talatar Mafara.
“We urge stakeholders and donor agencies to scale up their support and adopt more sustainable interventions. Our goal is to drastically reduce the number of out-of-school children and make Zamfara a model for inclusive education,” he added.
The pilot scheme is seen as a significant step toward reviving the state’s struggling education sector, long burdened by insecurity, poverty, and systemic neglect.
