Africa's most populous nation, Nigeria will expand its national school feeding programme in 2026 to cover more states and increase nutritional support for children, in a bid to tackle rising malnutrition and boost school enrolment.
Access24 News reports that the initiative, first launched in 2016, provides free meals to pupils in public primary schools. 
Nigeria's Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, on Sunday said that the new phase would prioritise locally sourced food, job creation for smallholder farmers and cooks, and stricter monitoring to curb fraud.
“The 2026 plan is designed to reach more than 20 million children daily and ensure that every child in basic education has access to at least one nutritious meal,” the Minister said.
Funding for the programme will come from federal and state budgets, with additional backing from international partners, officials said. Nigeria has faced repeated criticism over weak implementation, with reports of ghost pupils and irregular payments to vendors.
Parents and education advocates welcomed the expansion but urged authorities to ensure transparency. “If done properly, the feeding scheme can reduce dropout rates and improve learning outcomes, but the government must block leakages,” said Lagos-based education activist Bisi Adebayo.
Nigeria is battling food inflation at more than 30% and rising child malnutrition. 
The United Nations estimates that nearly 18 million children in the country suffer from hunger or undernutrition.