Implementation of the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) in Nigeria: Examining the Issues, Impediments, and the Way Forward

The Buhari administration launched the National Home-Grown School feeding Programme (NHGSFP) in 2016. The objectives of NHGSFP are encapsulated in the improvement of primary school enrolment, reduction of the rate of school dropout and addressing nutrition challenges common among school children. This article assesses the implementation of NHGSFP in Nigeria against some critical variables namely: effect on school enrolment, funding and fund management, quality and quantity of meals. Primary data were obtained through key informant interview (KIIs) conducted with Enugu state programme manager, food vendors, head teachers and some members of the School Based Management Committees, and through extensive literature search.  Findings show that the programme has led to an increase in enrolment in many schools; that it is under-funded, and funds are not remitted regularly to food vendors resulting to irregular feeding of pupils; both the quantity and quality of meals were poor consequent on the inadequacy of N70.0 for a meal. In conclusion, although the programme has recorded success in increasing school enrolment, the above inadequacies constitute impediments to the attainment of the overall objectives of the programme. We recommend that NHGSFP should be strengthened through a separate fund allocation, raising the cost of a plate of meal to N150; capturing pre-primary (nursery) children; and integrating water and toilet facilities in schools into the programme.