Niamey 1st March 2016 - The First Edition of the Africa Day of School Feeding was launched on Tuesday 1 March 2016, courtesy of the hospitality of the Government of Niger, under the theme “Home Grown School Feeding: a Conduit for Africa’s Sustainable Development”. This historic day was observed by the African Union Commission, AU Member States and

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development partners. The colorful ceremony in Niamey was highlighted by a series of official events and with the high attendance by school children, teachers, senior members of the government, development partners, the members of the diplomatic corps and other invitees.

The Africa Day of School Feeding has been instituted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government during the 26th AU Summit, in recognition of the immense value of home grown school meals to enhancing retention and performance of children in school, and in boosting income generation and entrepreneurship in local communities.

In his opening speech, Prime Minister of Niger, His Excellency Brigi Rafini, recounted how local school feeding programmes have had an impact in his country, not only in terms of improving access to education but also contributing significantly to the reduction of early marriages and the phenomenon of street children.

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Indeed, the objectives of the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 16-25) could not be achieved without a broad and integrated strategy taking into account the needs of vulnerable communities. Thus, as School Feeding has been included in CESA 16-25, which will act as a launching pad to stimulate local development and prevent malnutrition.

In his address, Mr. Thomas Yanga, the World Food Programme Director and Representative to the AU and ECA, Addis Ababa, explained how the WFP has been supporting efforts by governments in Africa to implement School Meals Programmes since the 1970s and globally for over 50 years. He stated that whilst the decision by AU Heads of State and Government will play a

critical role in improving education outcomes, eradicating hunger and poverty, it will also provide an excellent opportunity to underline the existing partnership between the African Union and WFP, especially in advocating for increased investments in Home Grown School Meals. This approach not only maintains the primary importance of access to education and nutritious meals, but also offers an entry point for sustainable community development.

The Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology of the African Union Commission, H.E. Dr. Martial De-Paul Ikounga delivered a statement on behalf of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission. In the statement, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma observed that school feeding had far-reaching benefits going beyond education, and impacting agriculture, nutrition, health and social development. The Chairperson also intimated that the top priorities of the post-2015 Agenda and, in particular, those encompassing in the Agenda 2063 and CESA 16 – 25 are well-addressed through the school feeding programme.

To quote the words of the Chairperson, “Many African countries are developing school feeding programmes with great innovations, notably Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Lesotho and others. (...) I call upon the documentation of these lessons learned, so that these can be shared with others without re-inventing the wheel, and so that we can hasten our advancement towards a promising continental strategy for the development of our countries.”

For more information, please contact:

Lawalley Cole, AUC/ HRST, Email: ColeL@africa-union.org

Adiatou Fatty, AUC/ HRST, Email: Fattya@africa-union.org

Jane Howard, WFP/Rome, Email: jane.howard@wfp.org

Wanja Kaaria, WFP/Addis, Email: wanja.kaaria@wfp.org

Directorate of Information and Communication
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