ECOWAS Boosts School Feeding with Nutrition-Focused Training for West African Member States.
By Raymond Enoch.
In a strategic move to enhance child nutrition across West Africa, the ECOWAS Commission has empowered its member states to integrate nutrition more effectively into national school feeding programmes.
From September 30 to October 3, 2025, Dakar hosted a landmark regional workshop organised by the ECOWAS Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development, with technical support from the World Food Programme (WFP). The event brought together 16 leaders of ECOWAS-funded school feeding projects under the Project to Promote an Integrated School Feeding Model in West Africa (PMAI-AO), alongside national programme experts and representatives from key development partners, including WFP, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and Action Against Hunger (ACF).
The workshop is part of a broader regional agenda to strengthen the integration of nutrition into sectoral policies and strategies. Participants received targeted training aimed at embedding nutrition-sensitive approaches into school meal planning and delivery—marking a major step toward combating malnutrition and ensuring food security for millions of schoolchildren across the region.
“This initiative reflects ECOWAS’ unwavering commitment to a West Africa where every child has access to safe, nutritious, and sustainable school meals,” said a representative of the ECOWAS Commission. “Investing in school nutrition is investing in the future of our region.”
The training underscores the growing momentum within ECOWAS to align school feeding programmes with broader development goals, including health, education, and agriculture. By building national capacity, ECOWAS and its partners aim to create a ripple effect—improving learning outcomes, boosting local economies through homegrown school feeding, and ultimately fostering a healthier, more prosperous West Africa.
