The Federal Government has announced plans to expand the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) to cover 50 million primary school pupils by 2026.
The disclosure was made on Sunday by officials of the programme, who said the move is part of government’s broader efforts to combat malnutrition, boost school enrolment, and support smallholder farmers across the country.
According to the government, scaling up the initiative will not only ensure that millions of Nigerian children receive at least one nutritious meal a day but will also stimulate local agricultural production and create thousands of jobs along the food supply chain.
The NHGSFP, first introduced in 2016, has already reached millions of pupils nationwide, though it has faced challenges of funding, transparency, and uneven implementation across states.
Officials said the 2026 target is ambitious but achievable, stressing that adequate partnerships with state governments, development partners, and the private sector will be critical to its success.
Education and nutrition experts have welcomed the announcement, but urged the government to strengthen monitoring and accountability to ensure the programme truly benefits the intended children.
