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ECOWAS to Support School Feeding in West Africa with €4.5 million
ECOWAS to Support School Feeding in West Africa with €4.5 million
By: Michael Mike
The Economic Communities of West Africa States (ECOWAS) on Friday said it has set aside €4.5 million to support the implementation of home grown school feeding in primary schools across the West African region.
The Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, ECOWAS Commission,
represented by the Director Agriculture and Rural Development, Alain Traore, stated this at the launch of the national policy forum on the institutionalisation and implementation of the home grown school feeding programme for sustainable economic growth and financial inclusion in Nigeria.
The event was organised by the presidential committee on home grown school feeding and supported by ActionAid Nigeria (AAN).
He said: “ECOWAS, with financial support from Spanish cooperation, is implementing the project to promote integrated school feeding models in West Africa (PMAI-AO), worth €4.5 million, the aim of which is to generate promising practices and strategies that can be scaled up and support the sustainability of school feeding programmes in the region.
“Food and nutritional security in general, and school feeding in particular, remains a strategic priority for our organisation, ECOWAS. It is at the heart of our regional agricultural policy, particularly through Axis 3, which aims to improve access to food, nutrition and the resilience of vulnerable populations.
“Children’s education is an essential pillar in the development of human capital in West Africa. School feeding based on local production (ASPL) is proving to be a promising approach for achieving this objective. It is not simply an isolated initiative; it is a holistic strategy that aims to improve child nutrition and contribute to school performance, support local agriculture, stimulate rural economies and reduce poverty.
“According to data from the Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF), the school feeding situation in the region shows that 25 million children benefited from school canteens in West Africa in 2024, i.e. 32% of children of primary school age.
“This shows that the overall coverage rate is low in the region, despite the efforts made by governments and their partners. Greater political will, large-scale implementation of school feeding programmes, and their sustainability are therefore more than necessary.”
Nigeria’s Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, who was represented by the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs, Tope Fasua, said with the relaunch of the programme Nigeria is at the forefront of feeding school children.
He said: @This year, the federal government relaunched the New Hope National Homegrown School Feeding Programme, signalling a decisive return to scale and systemisation. The programme is designed to boost enrollment and attendance, improve academic performance, and raise smallholder incomes through stable local procurement.
“Across ECOWAS, governments and partners are codifying school feeding into law, financing at scale, and improving delivery standards. Nigeria’s relaunch places us at the forefront of this regional movement, where political commitment, sustainable financing, and multisectoral coordination are the levers that lift outcomes.”
The Speaker House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, who was represented by the chairman house committee on food safety and nutrition, Chike Okafor, promised to monitor the implementation of the policy at all levels.
Representative of the Minister of state Humanitarian Affairs Yusuf Sununu, Mr. Valentine Ezulu, in his keynote address said, “the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme is not just about feeding children. It is about nation-building.
“It is about Education: because a child who is nourished is more attentive, more likely to attend school, and more capable of learning. It is about nutrition and healtth because regular balanced meals combat malnutrition, stunting, and anemia.”
ActionAid Nigeria Country Director, Dr. Andrew Mamedu in his welcome address noted that there’s need to institutionalise the policy
He said: “Across Nigeria, too many children still go to school hungry. According to the World Bank’s Human Capital Index, Nigeria scores just 0.36—meaning a child born here today will achieve only 36% of their productive potential if nothing changes.
“The Home-Grown School Feeding Programme is more than a nutrition intervention. It is an education strategy that keeps children in school and helps them learn better.”
He noted that: “When properly institutionalised, the programme will improve nutrition and learning, create jobs, enhance financial inclusion, and build resilience for future generations.”
ECOWAS to Support School Feeding in West Africa with €4.5 million
Hunter kills one, injures two in accidental shooting in Katsina
By: Zagazola Makama
The Police Command in Katsina State says it has arrested a 25-year-old hunter, Bashir Bala, for allegedly shooting three civilians, leading to the death of one person in Malumfashi Local Government Area of the state.
Zagazola gathered that the incident occurred on Thursday at about 4:10 p.m. when Bala, a member of a hunters’ group attached to the security personnel in Malumfashi, visited a known blackspot at Marabar Kankara to purchase cannabis.
According to the report, an argument ensued during which Bala discharged his rifle, striking three civilians.
“One civilian was confirmed dead at the scene while two others sustained gunshot injuries. The injured victims were rushed to the General Hospital for medical attention while the deceased’s body was released to his family after medical certification.
“A joint team comprising Police, the Nigerian Army and vigilantes responded to the scene, and the suspect has been apprehended. Security measures within the area of responsibility have also been reinforced,” the sources said.
Hunter kills one, injures two in accidental shooting in Katsina
Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA neutralise seven bandits in Katsina
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA have neutralised seven armed bandits and recovered four motorcycles during a decisive operation in Baba, Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The encounter, which lasted for over two hours on Thursday, followed credible intelligence on the movement of criminal elements terrorising farming communities in the area. Security sources said the troops engaged the bandits, killing seven while the remaining suspects fled with gunshot injuries.
Four motorcycles used in their criminal activities were recovered during the operation.
The military operation is part of ongoing efforts across frontline local government areas to dismantle criminal hideouts and ensure the safety of residents, especially farming communities during the rainy season.
Residents were urged to continue providing timely information to security agencies to support ongoing operations and help restore peace across the North West.
Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA neutralise seven bandits in Katsina
Yobe records progress under Governor Buni—Hon. Usman Gimba
By: Yahaya Wakili
Yobe State, under His Excellency Governor, Hon. Dr. Mai Mala Buni CON, COMN, Chiroman Gujba, has recorded measurable progress in various sectors, viz., education, health, agriculture, and other social and economic empowerment initiatives in the state.
This was revealed by the Senior Special Assistant to His Excellency Dr. Mai Mala Buni CON COMN on youth and sports, Hon. Usman Gimba (Sarkin Adon Gubana), at the graduation ceremony of Shettiman Malamai School for Marriage Education in Potiskum.
He said under the governorship of my boss, His Excellency Mai Mala Buni CON, Yobe State is experiencing a giant transformation in the development of infrastructure, human capital, and agriculture.
According to Sarkin Adon Gubana, upon the inauguration of Governor Buni into office, he had set out to create an educated and a well-secured and empowered society with access to the education sector.
At the graduation ceremony, Hon. Gimba said, “What we need in the community is for all of us to be educated, including those who were in the school and those that are in the house, and this school consists of teaching those that are in the house.”
He maintained that the importance of sound and qualitative education to the growth and development of any human society needs not to be emphasized. Adding to that, the school consists of women, but wisely, we also need men; we need the education.
“Because this school is for marriage education only, but we men ourselves need it because we need to be educated on how we can handle our wives when we are married, he charged the students to make good use of what they learned from the school,” Sarkin Adon Gubana said.
The Senior Special Assistant on Youths and Sports thanks the CEO, Malam Abdurazak Abdullahi Usman, for making this gigantic initiative and calls on our leaders—traditional, politicians, and religious—to come out en masse to support the school to move forward.
Yobe records progress under Governor Buni—Hon. Usman Gimba
Hunter kills one, injures two in accidental shooting in Katsina
Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA neutralise seven bandits in Katsina
Yobe records progress under Governor Buni—Hon. Usman Gimba
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