Africa has an opportunity to use one of its most established social programmes, school feeding, to address a growing public health challenge. Type 2 diabetes and other non-communicable diseases are rising across the continent, placing increasing pressure on health systems and household incomes. With the right approach, school meals can become more than a tool for fighting hunger. They can help build healthier generations while strengthening education, agriculture and local economies.
The scale of school feeding already provides a powerful foundation. According to the World Food Programme, school meals now reach 87 million children across Africa every day, up from 66 million in 2022. The 30% increase is the largest regional expansion globally and reflects a growing recognition that school feeding is an investment in human capital rather than simply a social safety net.
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Yet significant gaps remain. About 23 million primary school children in Africa still attend classes without food, highlighting the need for governments to expand coverage while improving the nutritional quality of meals.
An important development is the growing role of African governments in financing these programmes. More than 80% of school-feeding funding in Africa now comes from domestic sources, representing a significant shift towards national ownership. Countries including Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, Rwanda and Zambia have increasingly relied on national budgets to sustain their programmes.
The economic case is equally compelling. Research suggests that every dollar invested in school feeding can generate between $7 and $35 in wider benefits, through improved health, education and agricultural activity. In Rwanda, analysis suggests that moving towards healthier, locally sourced school meals could generate $120 million to $155 million annually in combined health, fiscal and environmental benefits. In Malawi, every $1 invested in school meals has been estimated to generate about $8 in economic benefits.
These returns matter as Africa confronts a growing diabetes burden. The International Diabetes Federation estimates that 24.6 million Africans were living with diabetes in 2024, with the number projected to reach 59.5 million by 2050. Diabetes-related health expenditure reached an estimated $33.3 billion in 2024, demonstrating the enormous financial consequences of allowing preventable health risks to become entrenched.
Africa is simultaneously dealing with undernutrition and rising overweight and obesity. UNICEF’s latest estimates show that the number of stunted children on the continent increased from 61.7 million in 2012 to 64.8 million in 2024. At the same time, changing food environments and increased consumption of highly processed foods are contributing to new nutritional risks.
This makes the composition of school meals increasingly important. Programmes can promote nutritious African foods such as millet, sorghum, teff, legumes and indigenous vegetables while reducing excessive reliance on highly processed, sugar-rich and nutrient-poor foods. Such an approach could improve children’s diets while creating stronger markets for local farmers.
The experience of home-grown school feeding programmes demonstrates the potential. In Benin, local procurement for school meals contributed more than $23 million to the economy in 2024, while direct purchases from smallholder farmers increased by 800%, benefiting more than 23,000 people. In Burundi, local procurement was associated with a 50% increase in farmers’ incomes, while cooperatives also created employment opportunities.
These programmes therefore connect several development priorities at once. A school meal can support a child’s concentration and attendance, create demand for a farmer’s produce and generate income within a rural community. When meals are nutritious and locally sourced, governments can simultaneously address food security, education, agriculture and public health.
The opportunity now is to make this approach more deliberate. School feeding should be integrated into national nutrition, health and agricultural strategies rather than treated as a stand-alone welfare programme. Governments can strengthen nutritional standards, increase domestic financing, support local procurement and use schools as platforms for teaching children about healthy eating.
The School Meals Coalition’s work across more than 110 countries demonstrates the growing global momentum behind this agenda. For Africa, the opportunity is particularly significant: investing in what children eat today can reduce the health and economic costs the continent faces tomorrow.
School meals are therefore not simply about putting food on a child’s plate. Done strategically, they can become an investment in healthier citizens, stronger communities and a more productive African workforce.
