By Mavis Paintsil, Accra
The UN World Food Programme and Lions Clubs International Foundation on Friday launched a $12 million Home-Grown School Feeding pilot designed to connect Ghanaian farmers directly to school kitchens.
The three-year initiative will begin with a one-year rollout reaching 33,598 kindergarten and primary pupils in about 100 schools across Karaga District in the Northern Region and Sekyere Central in the Ashanti Region. Children will receive safe, nutritious meals made from locally produced food each school day.
“This partnership is both timely and impactful,” said Ms. Aurore Rusiga, WFP Ghana Country Director. “It strengthens the home-grown school feeding approach by increasing farmer participation, creating market opportunities, and enabling schools to provide diverse and nutritious meals.”
Project partners include Lions Club District 418, World Food Program USA, the Ministries of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Education, and Agriculture, and the Ghana School Feeding Programme Secretariat. Officials say the model builds on the existing GSFP while demonstrating how school meals can also drive local economies.
“This is not just a social intervention. It is a catalyst for local development,” Rusiga told journalists at the media launch attended by Dr. Clement Apaak, Deputy Minister for Education; Ms. Marian Kpakpa, Chief Director, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection; Hajia Fati Forgor, National School Feeding Coordinator; and Mr. Bright Demordzi, Feed Ghana Coordinator, Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
Rusiga closed with the project’s vision: “When we feed a child, we invest in learning. When we support a farmer, we strengthen livelihoods. When we connect the two, we build a stronger and more resilient Ghana.”
Photo caption: WFP Ghana Country Director Aurore Rusiga addresses guests at the Home-Grown School Feeding pilot launch in Ridge, Accra, Friday, 5 June 2026. The $12M project will feed 33,598 children in Karaga and Sekyere Central districts with meals sourced from local farmers.
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