School feeding in Cameroon’s northern regions, east to increase

Four regions in Cameroon are being targeted for the expansion of a school feeding programme that will see meals distributed in schools to improve children’s nutrition and learning capacities.

The Adamawa, North, Far North and East regions are the targeted areas. “In these zones that are difficult to reach, it is hard that schools have access to those meals,” said the Minister of basic education, Laurent Serge Etoundi Ngoa.

He was speaking during the celebration of the 8th edition of the African School Feeding Day celebrated on March 1.

He said there is enough food that can sustain the targeted population, highlighting that the only problem they face is that of distribution. “This is because the means of preservation is still not efficient,” the Minister indicated.

“We are trying to enforce the use of local products and we are doing everything possible to ensure that the school canteens of these regions use local products such as flour, casava, to enable us have fufu corn, pap…, thus facilitating the process” Etoundi Ngoa disclosed.

Officials of the World Food Programme (WFP) have said the initiative will help improve school enrolment, reduce school dropout rates as well as early marriages of girls and inadequate nutrition.