Launch of a new school feeding project in Togo

The Togolese government has launched a new integrated school feeding project based on local production (Home Grown School Feeding – HGSF), aimed at increasing coverage in the Kara and Savanes regions. This project, officially implemented in the commune of Kozah 1, is receiving funding of 7.2 billion CFA francs (11 million euros) from the German government, through KfW.

Implemented in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), the project aims to provide healthy, balanced meals to more than 36,000 children in 130 preschools and primary schools every day. The initiative aims to improve not only students' nutrition and academic performance, but also boost rural economies.

Food for meals will be purchased directly from smallholder farmers and women's cooperatives, promoting local food supply. In addition, the project includes the rehabilitation of school kitchens, the installation of improved stoves, the creation of educational gardens, and the organization of nutrition awareness sessions.

This project specifically targets communities affected by the effects of the Sahel crisis, including those hosting refugees and internally displaced persons. In collaboration with the FAO, the Ministry of Agriculture, and other local stakeholders, technical support, agricultural equipment, and inputs will also be provided to 8,250 producers and 1,000 women involved in product processing.

"This project illustrates our ambition for an inclusive economic transformation, based on food sovereignty and rural development," declared Minister Delegate Abdul-Fattah Fofana at the launch of the work.

This new initiative strengthens the National School Feeding Program (ProNAS), which already covers more than 173,000 children in 783 schools across the country. The government aims to extend this coverage to 300,000 schoolchildren by the start of the next school year.