World Food Programme keeps 600,00 in school with one meal a day

 By Ernest Bako WUBONTO

The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) has revealed in a just-concluded field assessment report that a single daily school meal is keeping 60,000 children in classrooms across Northern Ghana, driving significant improvements in school attendance, children’s health and learning readiness.

The integrated school feeding intervention, funded by the United States (US) government and delivered in partnership with government, addresses critical structural vulnerabilities in Northern Ghana by simultaneously tackling classroom hunger, chronic malnutrition and expanding school drop-out rates.

As the current funding cycle nears its conclusion in June 2026, WFP recently led a high-level, three-day multi-stakeholder field mission across Tamale, Zebilla and Gambaga to evaluate the programme’s impacts and secure a sustainable transition strategy for the 207 low-fee private schools in vulnerable communities involved.

The findings highlight an intervention that goes far beyond the plate – especially as locally sourced food is strengthening smallholder farmers’ incomes, community caterers are creating jobs and schools are recording up to three-fold increases in enrolment.

The model demonstrates that a predictable, nutritious meal is both an immediate safety net and a long-term investment in human capital and local economic resilience.

By guaranteeing one balanced meal a day, the programme removed a major financial burden from low-income households; directly incentivising parents to keep children, particularly girls, in school.

At the Oxford Grammar Academy in Tamale, it was revealed that this reliable food security framework caused enrollment to nearly triple – jumping from 175 to 445 students, while proving that consistent nutrition is a foundational prerequisite for academic focus and childhood health.

Beyond educational gains, it has also highlighted that a substantial decline in childhood illnesses was recorded.

At the Harvest Community School, administrators noted a sharp drop in diarrhea cases after structured, hygienic school meals replaced unregulated street food.

The report indicated that this initiative is also generating tangible economic returns within local communities by strengthening demand for locally produced food and stimulating small-scale economic activity.

By sourcing ingredients directly from nearby smallholder farmers and engaging local caterers, the programme has created a predictable market that stabilises household incomes, reduces post-harvest losses and fuels the growth of small retail businesses supplying grains and vegetables.

National Coordinator-Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), Hajia Fati Forgor, noted that following the model’s successful outcomes, its findings will help inform national policy on potentially expanding state-backed school feeding initiatives to low-fee private schools at scale.

WFP Country Director Aurore Rusiga emphasised that the goal is primarily to expand access. “The goal remains clear, to expand access so that more children – particularly in vulnerable communities – are consistently fed, healthier, able to learn and supported to stay in school,” she said.

Ms. Rusiga emphasised that sustaining these gains will require continued intentional investment and the political will to cement school feeding as a core pillar of Ghana’s national human development agenda.

With the current phase wrapping up this June, local communities are already pivoting toward self-reliance.

At Savior Academy in Gambaga, school management announced immediate plans to mobilise parents and community leaders to self-fund and sustain the meal deliveries independently.

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