Education
ECOWAS Countries Meet to Strategize on School Meals Programmes
ECOWAS Countries Meet to Strategize on School Meals Programmes
By: Michael Mike
Over a hundred technical experts including government officials, policy makers, donor representatives, and researchers from Education, Agriculture, Gender and Social Protection sectors, from West Africa and beyond on Tuesday kick-started a meeting in Dakar, Senegal to share knowledge and best practices on the implementation of school meals programmes using locally-sourced food.
Led by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the two-day high-level conference is entitled, “Investing in homegrown school meals to strengthen human capital, women’s economic empowerment and contribute to economic development”.
According to a statement, it offers a unique opportunity for participants to take stock of and shed light on school meals programmes and their impact on countries’ economic growth, food systems strengthening and women’s empowerment.
Professor Fatou Sow-Sarr, ECOWAS Commissioner at the conference’s opening event, said: “Today, it is important to stress that benchmarks in health, nutrition and education make a considerable contribution to economic growth in the sub-region. It has been shown that the introduction of school meals programmes based on local production can, among other things reduce poverty, increase school enrolment, generate income, add value to local products, and promote community cohesion, stability and productivity,”
The ECOWAS Commissioner also called on all Member States to work on a school meals model that offers children safe, diversified and nutritious food from local sources.
He said: “School canteens can help to strengthen local food systems, in particular by creating stable markets, stimulating local agriculture and improving agricultural production.”
According to the statement, at the end of the conference, technical experts are expected to establish strategic plans that will help national governments to reinforce political support for the adoption of school meals policies while securing financial investments to scale up the programme.
World Food Programme (WFP)’s Regional Director ad interim for Western Africa, Margot van der Velden, said : “West Africa has the potential to achieve universal school meals coverage through increased investments in homegrown school meals.”
She added that: “At WFP, we are humbled by the progress made by national governments and remain committed to working with all partners to ensure children have access to education and the nutritious food they need to thrive and grow into productive adults tomorrow.”
The 2022 State of School Feeding Worldwide report stated that despite Western Africa grappling with multiple and intertwined crises driven by conflict, climate shocks, a slow economic recovery from COVID-19, and the ripple effect of the crisis in Ukraine, ECOWAS Member States feed the largest number of school-aged children in Africa (22.4 million as of 2022, up from 20 million children fed in 2020),
The report insisted that overall, in the ECOWAS countries, 85 percent of school meals programmes are funded by domestic budgets. These programmes have created over 200,000 direct jobs in 11 ECOWAS countries mostly for women as cooks, food packers, quality control agents, processors and transporters. This confirms that when school meals are locally procured, the school meals programme contributes to strengthening local food systems, building stable markets, and boosting the local agriculture and sustainable supply chains.
Van der Velde declared that: “Homegrown school meals are more than a meal,” adding that: “They are a gateway to a better, healthier, and more prosperous future, and a platform that nourishes the next generation, creating jobs, economic growth, and longer-term development for entire countries.”
The statement said through this regional school meals conference, participants will discuss and share the most recent regional research and evidence, scale, coverage, and trends in school meals in the region. They will also highlight national approaches, experiences, and best practices in homegrown school meals programmes, as well as country-level constraints to scaling up these programmes.
ECOWAS Countries Meet to Strategize on School Meals Programmes
UNIMAID Student Drowns in Gwange River, Another Rescued
By: Zagazola Makama
A tragic drowning incident has claimed the life of a University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) student, while another was rescued after they went swimming at the Gwange River Bank in Maiduguri.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the incident occurred on March 14, 2025, around 7:00 p.m., when two UNIMAID students, identified as Abafras Abdiel from the Department of Forestry and Silas Sule from the Department of Geology, went to the Gwange River Bank behind ECWA Church for a swim.
While diving, both students drowned in the river, prompting an emergency response. A combined rescue team, including the police, divers, and fire service personnel, was immediately mobilized to the scene.
The rescue team managed to retrieve both victims and rushed them to the State Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri. While Abafras Abdiel was admitted for treatment, Silas Sule was unfortunately certified dead by doctors. His body has since been deposited at the hospital for autopsy and further investigations.
The authorities have urged students and residents to exercise caution when engaging in activities near water bodies, especially during the dry season, when river currents can be unpredictable.
UNIMAID Student Drowns in Gwange River, Another Rescued
Federal University Gusau: A 300-level student died in a bandit’s den in Zamfara
By: Our Reporter
This is truly heartbreaking. Zarah Abubakar Shehu, a 21-year-old 300-level student at Federal University Gusau, was abducted along with her two siblings by bandits in the early hours of Sunday, November 3, 2024, from their home in the Damba area of Gusau, Zamfara State.
The kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of ₦35 million for their release. After much struggle, the family managed to gather ₦10 million, which the kidnappers agreed to accept. However, even after receiving the money, they still refused to release Zarah. Instead, they demanded four motorcycles (Boza) and four cartons of engine oil.
Zarah and her siblings spent four months in captivity. When all the items were finally gathered, the kidnappers’ leader was informed. He then called his men to check on the captives. To everyone’s horror, his men responded that only two children remained; one of them, Zarah, had passed away and had already been buried two days earlier.
Zarah was the only daughter of her mother, making her loss even more devastating. Her passing is not just a tragedy for her family but a heartbreaking reflection of the ongoing insecurity in Zamfara State and the pain that countless families endure.
Federal University Gusau: A 300-level student died in a bandit’s den in Zamfara
Gunmen Kidnap Four Students in Katsina State
By: Zagazola Makama
Suspected armed bandits have abducted four students from Paris Quarters, behind the Federal University, Dutsinma, in Katsina State, security sources told Zagazola Makama on Sunday.
The attack occurred at about 2:20 a.m. on Sunday, when the assailants, reportedly in large numbers, quietly invaded the area and whisked away four individuals.
The victims have been identified as Wali Kayode (25), Fahad Muhammad (20), Emmanuel (surname unknown), and another yet-to-be-identified person.
Security operatives were mobilized to the scene immediately after receiving a distress call but the bandits had fled.
Security sources said that Efforts are ongoing to track down the kidnappers and rescue the victims safely.
Gunmen Kidnap Four Students in Katsina State
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