Accra: Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, has praised the Ghana School Feeding Programme for its significant impact on the lives of schoolchildren across Ghana. She emphasized that the programme ensures 4.53 million Ghanaian children receive a hot, nutritious meal every school day, marking an increase from 4.03 million in 2024.
According to Ghana News Agency, Dr Lartey highlighted these achievements during the Government Accountability Series Press Conference at the Presidency in Accra. In 2024, the government allocated GH?1,393,000,000 to the programme, which provided meals to 4,029,580 pupils at a cost of GH?1.50 per meal. By 2025, the administration of President John Dramani Mahama increased the meal grant to GH?2.00, supported by a budget of GH?1,788,000,000, to benefit 4,231,000 pupils.
Dr Lartey further reported that the 2026 budget rose to GH?1,982,000,000, maintaining the meal grant at GH?2.00 while extending the programme's reach to 4,527,636 children daily. She noted that alongside these funding increases, the government cleared all caterer arrears from 2024 and settled payments for the first and second terms of the 2025/26 academic year.
The minister also shared progress in compliance monitoring, which expanded from 4,419 schools in 2025 to 8,270 schools in 2026. Additionally, 20,171 caterers and head cooks received training in practical nutrition standards, enhancing the programme's effectiveness.