The Federal Government has announced an ambitious plan to reach 20 million children through the Homegrown School Feeding Programme by 2026, describing the initiative as not just an educational investment but also a national security strategy. Vice President Kashim Shettima disclosed this commitment at the National Policy Forum on the Institutionalisation and Implementation of the Renewed Hope National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, held in Abuja on Friday.
The forum, hosted by the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion in collaboration with ActionAid Nigeria and other partners, brought together policymakers, development experts, and civil society organisations to deliberate on the future of school feeding in Nigeria. Shettima, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Economic Affairs, Dr. Kolade Fasua, said the programme under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda represents the boldest expansion of the intervention in history.
According to the Vice President, the school feeding initiative, relaunched earlier this year, was designed to improve school enrollment and enhance learning outcomes. He noted that it also creates a guaranteed daily market for smallholder farmers, women entrepreneurs, and local food processors, thereby driving rural economic growth.
“This year, the Federal Government relaunched the Renewed Hope National Homegrown School Feeding Programme, signalling a decisive return to scale and systematisation. The programme is designed to boost enrollment, improve academic performance, and raise smallholder incomes through stable local procurement,” Shettima said.
He added that alongside the core programme, the government has inaugurated the Alternate Education and Renewed Hope School Feeding Project, which specifically targets out-of-school and vulnerable children. This, he said, would help in achieving the target of reaching up to 20 million children by 2026.
Shettima also assured stakeholders that the integration of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) system into the programme would guarantee transparency, ensuring that “real pupils receive real meals” while maximizing the economic impact of every naira spent. “Every naira works twice—once for the child, and once for the local economy,” he declared.
While acknowledging that sustaining nationwide coverage could cost as much as one trillion naira, the Vice President insisted that the programme should not be viewed as a financial burden but as an investment in the nation’s future. He described the feeding initiative as a “nation-building investment with high social, economic, and security returns.”
Highlighting the broader implications, Shettima said every hot meal served in a classroom represents a barrier against child recruitment by violent groups, a reinforcement of the government’s presence in conflict-prone areas, and a source of hope for disadvantaged communities.
“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,” he emphasized. He also noted that the involvement of women, MSMEs, and vulnerable households in the programme would reduce poverty while shrinking the spaces where insecurity thrives.
The Vice President called on development partners, private investors, and state governments to align with the Federal Government’s vision for the school feeding scheme. According to him, the programme’s success should be measured not only in hunger-free classrooms but also in safer and more resilient communities.
In his keynote address, the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Tanko Sununu, represented by the Director of Social Development, Mr. Valentine Ezulu, emphasized the need to institutionalize the programme through legislation. He advocated for the enactment of a National Home Grown School Feeding Act to ensure continuity across political administrations.
Ezulu further stressed the need for a National Nutrition Guideline for Homegrown School Meals that aligns with international best practices. Such a framework, he argued, would ensure that meals served to children are safe, balanced, and healthy.
“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,” he said.
The forum concluded with a call for stronger collaboration between the federal and state governments, development partners, and local communities to sustain the programme. Stakeholders agreed that for the ambitious target of 20 million pupils by 2026 to be achieved, transparency, consistent funding, and proper monitoring mechanisms must be prioritized.
