Millions of Nigerian schoolchildren could benefit from expanded school-feeding programmes as the Federal Government strengthens efforts to tackle malnutrition, with Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa highlighting a national target to increase coverage from 33 per cent to 60 per cent of primary school children by 2035.
Alausa presented the education sector’s proposed role in the Nutrition 774 Initiative on October 8, 2026, at the Ethiopia-Nigeria Leadership Exchange on Moving the Needle on Nutrition in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. During a session on building a multi-sectoral framework, he called for stronger coordination among government ministries and across federal, state and local government levels.
The minister said school feeding could serve as a practical way to improve children’s nutrition while encouraging regular school attendance. He stressed that tackling malnutrition requires more than policies and official commitments; it demands well-funded programmes that reach children and families in their communities.
Under the Education Ministry’s proposed contribution to Nutrition 774, interventions would cover school feeding, school health, nutrition education and improved access to quality education. The measures would be integrated into local government food and nutrition plans, while education indicators would feature in the initiative’s local government scorecard to strengthen monitoring and accountability.
Alausa also highlighted the importance of teaching children about healthy eating, well-being and healthy lifestyles through nutrition-related subjects incorporated into Nigeria’s revised school curriculum. He said the approach would help children understand the connection between nutrition, health, learning and their long-term development.
Beyond school meals, the minister called for sustained investment in early childhood care and development, noting that children’s nutritional and developmental needs continue beyond the first 1,000 days of life.
He also identified accurate and integrated data as essential to the success of the initiative. According to him, better use of government data would help identify vulnerable children and communities, improve programme planning and determine whether interventions were reaching the people who needed them most.
Alausa stressed that the success of Nutrition 774 would depend on effective implementation at state and local government levels, supported by clear targets, financing and monitoring mechanisms.
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He further noted that Nigeria could learn from Ethiopia’s experience in coordinating nutrition programmes and mobilising domestic resources, provided the lessons were adapted to the country’s specific needs.
The Education Ministry, he said, remained committed to working with relevant ministries, government authorities and development partners to strengthen nutrition-related interventions in schools.
The proposed expansion of school feeding presents an opportunity to connect two important development priorities: child nutrition and education. By improving access to meals, promoting healthy habits and strengthening school participation, the government aims to create an environment in which children can learn, grow and thrive.
As Nigeria works towards the 2035 school-feeding target, effective funding, reliable data and accountability at the local level will be critical to translating the policy ambition into measurable benefits for children and their families.
