In a bold push to secure a healthier, more inclusive future for Nigerian children, the Federal Government has announced an estimated annual requirement of ₦900 billion to ₦1 trillion to successfully relaunch and scale the Renewed Hope National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (RH-NHGSFP).
The disclosure came during a high-level stakeholders’ engagement on the implementation of the programme, held Wednesday at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja. The meeting was led by the Honourable Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Tanko Yusuf Sununu.
Dr. Sununu underscored the critical need for robust funding to provide nutritious meals to pupils in grades 1 to 3, targeting at least three meals per week. “We require sustained investment to meet the nutritional needs of our children,” he said, stressing that beyond federal allocations, alternative funding streams would be vital to ensuring the programme’s success.
Backing this call, Associate Professor Badamasi Lawal, National Coordinator and CEO of the National Social Investment Programme, laid out a strategic financing roadmap. He proposed leveraging presidential support, tapping into international donor grants, and channeling 5% of recovered repatriated funds to bolster the initiative.
“As stakeholders, your technical expertise, strategic insights, and financial backing are indispensable,” Dr. Lawal told the gathering. “Our goal is to forge collaborative pathways that align with the Sustainable Development Goals, especially those related to eradicating hunger, promoting quality education, and reducing poverty.”
Describing the RH-NHGSFP as a cornerstone of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Dr. Lawal highlighted its multi-faceted benefits: combating malnutrition, boosting school attendance, empowering local farmers, and stimulating rural economies, “one nutritious meal at a time.”
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He further noted that the enhanced programme would introduce greater efficiency, transparency, and inclusiveness, with clearly defined impact metrics. “We aim to make this a national success story and a model for other countries striving to build sustainable school feeding systems,” he added.
The session ended with a presentation by Dr. Princess Aderemi Adebowale, National Programme Manager, who unveiled the Enhanced Platform of the NHGSFP, setting the stage for a rejuvenated and more impactful national feeding programme.
