President Tinubu’s Social Investment Drive Scales Up Homegrown School Feeding to Reach 20 Million Children Nationwide by 2026
Vice President Kashim Shettima has announced that the Federal Government, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is set to expand the Homegrown School Feeding Programme to reach 20 million children by 2026. This ambitious initiative is a flagship of the Renewed Hope Agenda, designed to strengthen education, improve child nutrition, and stimulate inclusive economic development across Nigeria.
Nigeria’s National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) is a government-led initiative that provides local, nutritious midday meals to primary school pupils. Relaunched earlier this year, the programme is structured to increase school enrollment and enhance learning outcomes while creating reliable daily markets for smallholder farmers, women entrepreneurs, and local processors. Vice President Shettima described the planned scale-up as the boldest phase in the history of the intervention, underscoring the administration’s determination to deliver life-changing social investments.
To ensure transparency and accountability, the programme will integrate data from the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). This will guarantee that “real pupils receive real meals,” ensuring that every naira spent supports both children in classrooms and local economies. While nationwide implementation could cost up to one trillion naira, the Vice President emphasized that it should be seen not as a financial burden but as a nation-building investment.
Beyond improving education and nutrition, the initiative carries broader social impact. Shettima stressed that each meal served in schools helps prevent child recruitment by violent groups, reinforces government presence in conflict-prone areas, and restores hope in disadvantaged communities. He called on development partners, private investors, and state governments to align with the Federal Government’s vision, noting that true success will be measured not only by hunger-free classrooms but also by safer, more resilient communities across Nigeria.
