In Cameroon, nearly a quarter of pupils do not complete primary education, whilst humanitarian crises and food insecurity continue to undermine school attendance in several regions. Against this backdrop, school meals are seen as a key means of keeping children in school and improving their learning conditions. In the Adamaoua region, the World Food Programme, in partnership with the government, intends to build on this momentum through a school feeding programme based on locally sourced produce.
As the 2026–2027 school year gets under way, a hot meal is also becoming a tool in the fight against school dropout. At Gada Dang Government Primary School, in Ngaoundéré III Subdivision, Vina Division, Adamawa Region, the World Food Programme officially launched its school feeding programme for the new academic year on Monday, 7 September 2026. The initiative brings together administrative authorities, education officials, communities and development partners around a common objective: keeping children in school, improving their nutrition and promoting better academic performance.
We can also see that there is an experiment underway in the food supplementation system. I believe this is a major innovation. We hope that this initiative will be sustained, because it enables children to attend school regularly, to be punctual and to follow lessons under better conditions, because they will have had a good meal, good milk and quality food.
KILDADI TAGUIEKE BOUKAR, Governor of the Adamawa Region
At Gada Dang, the effects of the programme are already visible. The school’s enrollment rose from 194 pupils in 2022–2023 to 322 in 2025–2026. This increase is attributed in particular to the appeal of the school canteen. The menu includes maize, sweet potatoes, beans, eggs, groundnuts, fish, vegetables, tomatoes and carrots. Most of these products are purchased from local producers.
The school feeding programme enables pupils to come to school every day. It not only contributes to children’s punctuality and regular attendance, but also to their health.
EVELINE CLAIRE MEGON, Headmistress of Gada Dang Government Primary School
The Home-Grown School Feeding model therefore benefits more than just the pupils. It also creates market opportunities for family farming and involves parents in the management and preparation of meals.
It should also be noted that the community itself benefits from the programme, because the food distributed to pupils is purchased locally from local producers and prepared locally by parents, by mothers identified within the community, before finally being served to pupils in their classrooms. It should be noted that this year, the WFP intends to continue the efforts already initiated, with a view to sustaining the results we have achieved so far and further strengthening the sustainability of this intervention.
PAUL ZEBAZE, Head of the WFP Office in Ngaoundéré
Across Cameroon, the locally sourced school feeding programme operates in seven regions: Adamawa, Centre, East, Far North, North, North-West and South-West. According to available data for 2024, 71,850 pupils, 43% of whom are girls, benefit from the programme in 107 schools. In the Adamawa Region, 27 schools are currently covered by the Home-Grown School Feeding programme. Beyond simply providing a meal, the initiative aims to make schools spaces for nutrition, learning and local development.
