School children listen to discourse on advantages of eating home grown food.
By Lawrence Kimbi Konfor
This year’s commemoration of the African Day of School Feeding has been celebrated in Cameroon with emphasis on the promotion of home grown food to feed school children.
The ceremony was presided by the Minister of Basic Education, Professor Laurent Etoundi Ngoa, on the 20th of March 2025 under the theme ;
“A Decade of Nourishment ; Celebrating the Past, Securing the Future “.
The event took place at the esplanade of the Yaounde City Council in the presence of some national and international NGOs , sectoral Ministries, school children of the Central government school of Yaounde.
Highlights of the day was speeches by the Minister of Basic Education, country representatives of the World Food Program , World Bank, UN System Cameroon Coordinator, the French Ambassador amongst others.
There was also exhibition and visits of stands.
The focus of various speeches highlighted the promotion of Home Grown School Feeding model whereby children are provided with safe, cost-effective, diverse, nutritious and culturally appropriate food produced by small holders.
“The promotion of locally home grown food does not only guarantee good health for the children but also spurs the growth of the local economy,” Minister Etoundi Ngoa said.
It should be recalled that Cameroon National School Feeding Strategy has been implemented recently mostly in crises proned regions of Cameroon like the Far North, North, Adamawa, East and Northwest and Southwest, by MINEDUB, with the support of the WFP, and many national and international partners while funding has been sourced from institutions like the World Bank, Education-Cannot-Wait and countries like France and Britain.
The general objectives is to improve school enrollment and completion, improve child nutrition and health status and increase girl child enrollment.
Nascent Solution has been one of the key partners with their MC-Govern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition program implemented from 2018-2023 funded by the United States Département of Agriculture through USAID.
State and diplomatic officials at the ceremony.