The Federal Government has set an ambitious target to reach 20 million children through the Renewed Hope National Home Grown School Feeding Programme by 2026.
Vice President Kashim Shettima announced this during the National Policy Forum on the Institutionalisation and Implementation of the programme in Abuja on Friday.
According to Shettima, the programme is designed to improve school enrollment and learning outcomes while creating a guaranteed daily market for smallholder farmers, women entrepreneurs, and local processors.
Shettima said the initiative should not be seen as a drain on public finances but as a nation-building investment with high social, economic, and security returns.
“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,” he said.
Shettima also pointed out the programme’s potential to act as a barrier against recruitment into violent groups and reinforce the state’s presence in conflict-prone communities.
The Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Tanko Sununu, represented by Director, Social Development, Mr. Valebtine Ezulu, called for a National Home Grown School Feeding Act to provide legal backing for the programme.
Ezulu recommended the development of a nutrition guideline in line with global best practices to ensure safe and healthy feeding for the 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,” Ezulu said.
The Renewed Hope National Home Grown School Feeding Programme aims to boost enrollment and attendance, improve academic performance, and raise smallholder incomes through stable local procurement.
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