Ghana News
It’s More Than a Meal: How School Feeding Programs Are Boosting Ghana’s Economy
On harmattan mornings in this dusty community, the fine dust settles on classroom desks and dry wind brushes against the faces of children walking barefoot to school.
For young Abdul-Wahab Mohammed, those mornings often began with an empty stomach. His father’s two-acre farm could not sustain their family of 24 year-round, and breakfast was a luxury during lean seasons.
What kept him in school was the promise of a meal—rice and gravy stew, peanut soup, or beans with gari (the local dish known as “Gobe”)—served by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). That meal, he says, “wasn’t just food. It was relief. It was energy. It was dignity.”
Today, Mohammed has returned to those same communities as a WFP communications officer, wearing the organization’s vest and documenting the stories of children whose paths mirror his own. His journey from hungry schoolboy to humanitarian professional embodies a transformation that Ghana is now scaling nationwide: school feeding programs that do far more than fill empty stomachs.
The Economic Multiplier Effect
School feeding in Ghana has evolved into a sophisticated economic development tool that connects classrooms to farms, markets, and livelihoods. The program currently reaches approximately 3 million pupils across the country, including 60,000 in the northern regions where Mohammed grew up. With a GH¢1.98 billion allocation in the 2026 national budget, the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) represents one of the government’s largest investments in both education and local economic development.
The economic logic is straightforward: when schools purchase food locally, they create predictable demand that stabilizes agricultural markets. In February 2026, President Mahama reinforced this connection through a directive requiring all public schools—from basic to tertiary—to purchase only Ghanaian-produced rice, maize, chicken, and eggs. The “Buy Ghana, Eat Ghana” policy tasks five agencies, including the Ministry of Education, the School Feeding Programme, and the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFBC) with ensuring compliance.
For farmers like those in the Bolgatanga, Bawku and Navrongo (BBN) Farmers’ Cooperative Union in the Upper East Region, this guaranteed market has been transformative. Priscilla Aberinga Alemiya, General Manager of BBN Cooperative, explains that WFP’s intervention came at a critical time when falling rice prices threatened the cooperative’s survival. “If not for the WFP project, the cooperative might have folded,” she says. Instead, with access to stable school markets and $80,000 in rice fortification equipment from WFP, the cooperative increased production capacity from 315 tonnes to 485 tonnes, earned approximately GH¢400,000 in profit, and sustained jobs for its 1,256 members.
Women: The Hidden Workforce Powering School Feeding
Behind every school meal is a network of women who rise before dawn to light fires, fetch water, wash ingredients, and prepare food in large pots under simple wooden sheds. These caterers—predominantly female—manage the entire supply chain, from purchasing food at local markets to transporting and serving meals, often for several hundred children daily .
For women like Stella Nyaaba, leader of the Bongo Lelingo Asongtaaba Parboilers Group, the school feeding program has lifted a heavy burden. “Unlike before, when we struggled on market days and were burdened with transportation costs just to sell one bag of parboiled rice, WFP has lifted that burden,” she says. “Even if we have 20 or 30 bags, BBN buys everything at once and pays us in bulk, enabling us to save and support our families” .
The government is investing in these women’s success. In February 2026, the GSFP launched nationwide capacity-building training for caterers, emphasizing adherence to approved menus and the use of locally sourced ingredients. During an inspection of caterer training in East Gonja, Salaga South MP Hajia Ibrahimah Mohammed commended the initiative as “timely and strategic,” noting that compliance with nutritional guidelines is crucial for enhancing children’s health and academic performance.
Yet challenges remain. A recent study by French research institute IRD and the University of Ghana reveals that many caterers operate without stable incomes or formal recognition. Government payments are often months late, forcing women to advance their own money, go into debt with suppliers, or take on second jobs to continue feeding students. When funds are delayed too long, portions shrink and meals lose nutritional diversity. Addressing these payment delays could unlock even greater economic impact from this predominantly female workforce.
Innovation: Fortified Rice and Local Value Chains
Ghana is also pioneering nutritional innovations that strengthen local agriculture. WFP, with support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), has introduced fortified rice into school feeding programs across six regions—Upper East, Upper West, Northern, Ashanti, Oti, and Greater Accra. The initiative enriches rice with essential vitamins and minerals during milling, addressing micronutrient deficiencies in a country where 2.4 million children are malnourished.
The program targets 157,510 students across 365 basic schools and 35 senior high schools. Early results are promising: participating private schools have seen a 7.9 percent increase in enrolment, suggesting that quality meals attract and retain students.
To ensure sustainability, WFP has invested in local production capacity, delivering four rice fortification machines worth over $80,000 to millers in the Upper East, Ashanti, Greater Accra, and North-East regions. In 2025, BBN Cooperative and Ko Franco Farms supplied 170 tonnes of fortified rice and 61.7 tonnes of parboiled unpolished rice to nine senior high schools.
Franco Obour, CEO of Ko Franco Farms, notes that his company was one of only three selected for the program nationwide.
“This initiative promotes the use of locally produced rice rather than imports,” he says. His farm has already supplied its first 45 tonnes of fortified rice, with NAFBC purchasing for senior high schools.
At Ejisu Secondary Technical School in the Ashanti Region, Headmistress Grace Asomani has witnessed the nutritional benefits firsthand.
“Fortified rice contains added nutrients unlike the ordinary polished white rice we are used to,” she explains. “If we continue feeding students with fortified rice, malnutrition will eventually be a thing of the past.”
Community-Level Innovation
Beyond national programs, local leaders are creating innovative supply solutions. Central Regional Minister Ekow Okyere Panyin Eduamoah has cultivated 100 acres of farmland to supply fresh produce directly to schools, part of President Mahama’s 24-Hour Economy Market policy. The farm grows crops designed to enhance nutritional value while making it easier for caterers to access fresh, quality food at affordable prices.
Regional GSFP Coordinator Janet Quansah says the initiative will ease the financial burden on caterers who struggle with high food costs while boosting local food production and strengthening national food security.
Evidence-Based Policy
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) is pushing for even more targeted approaches. In recommendations accompanying its latest Quarterly Food Insecurity Report, the GSS urges the government to “target high-burden regions with tailored food security, agriculture, and market-access solutions instead of one-size-fits-all approaches.” The report calls for expanding nutrition-sensitive social protection, prioritizing female-headed households, and linking food security to jobs and livelihoods through skills development and rural income diversification.
At the sub-national level, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies are encouraged to use food insecurity and labor data to identify vulnerable communities and align development plans accordingly.
A Personal Lens, A National Vision
For Mohammed, now documenting the stories of children receiving the same meals that sustained him, the transformation is deeply personal. On a recent visit to a northern school, he paused to watch rows of children seated patiently, bowls in hand, eyes bright with anticipation. The aroma from cooking pots filled the air—just as it did when he was a boy.
“In those kitchens, you see strength. In those farms, you see resilience. In those classrooms, you see possibility,” he reflects. “School feeding is not charity. It is an investment. It is strategy. It is transformation woven across students, farmers, and women”.
As International School Meals Day approaches, that transformation offers a model for global audiences: when school feeding programs are designed as economic development tools—connecting farmers to markets, employing women as entrepreneurs, and nourishing future leaders—they feed nations, one meal at a time.
This story was developed from a first-person account by Abdul-Wahab Mohammed, Ghana Communications Officer for the World Food Programme, with additional reporting on Ghana’s school feeding initiatives and agricultural policies.
Ghana News
GH₵6.1 Million and Counting: Mahama and His Appointees Donate Six Months’ Salary to Ghana’s Healthcare Fund
President John Dramani Mahama has made good on a pledge to donate six months of his salary to Ghana’s flagship healthcare initiative, the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as MahamaCares.
Combined with contributions from political appointees and deductions from officials who missed an asset declaration deadline, the total sum of GH₵6,102,737.80 has been transferred to the Fund.
The formal presentation was made on Monday at Jubilee House, where Deputy Chief of Staff (Administration) Nana Oye Bampoe Addo handed over the proceeds on behalf of the Office of the President.
The Controller and Accountant-General has already transferred the full amount to the Trust.
A ‘Reset Agenda’ Made Concrete
President Mahama launched MahamaCares on 29 April 2025 to address critical gaps in Ghana’s healthcare financing system. The Fund covers treatment costs for non-communicable diseases not fully provided for under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), including cancers, cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney failure requiring dialysis, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, and sickle cell disease.
The need is not abstract. According to the World Health Organisation, non-communicable diseases now account for 45 percent of all deaths in Ghana. One health facility alone recorded five thousand new diabetes referrals in the first half of 2025.
‘Real Sacrifices’ and a Call for Public Support
Nana Oye Bampoe Addo stated that the salary donations had not come without cost to those who made them.
“These salary donations came with real sacrifices. Bills that had to wait. Plans that had to be deferred. Commitments that had to be renegotiated. We knew the cost, and we paid it anyway,” she said.
She said the entire exercise is the Reset Agenda made concrete, arguing that public office carries an obligation to give.
“Leadership is not a title, it is a disposition,” she said.
She ended with a call to Ghanaians to support the fund: “This is a passionate appeal from political appointees to each and every Ghanaian. We know you will hear, you will dig deep in your pockets and contribute so that more lives will also be saved”.
How the Money Was Raised
The funds comprised:
- President Mahama’s pledge: Six months of his basic salary
- Appointee contributions: One month’s salary from government appointees
- Asset declaration penalties: Three months’ salary forfeited by officials who missed the initial deadline for asset declaration
Collections are not yet finished. Appointees who missed the asset declaration deadline remain subject to further deductions, and those proceeds will also go to the Fund.
“We will still be collecting more money,” Nana Oye Bampoe Addo said.
The Fund’s Ambition and Challenges
The Ghana Medical Trust Fund requires approximately three billion Ghana cedis annually over its first three years to achieve its goals. It is currently operating as a pilot phase to help the government assess its long-term financial sustainability.
The Fund currently receives 20% of the National Health Insurance Levy, with additional support coming from donor groups, corporate institutions, organisations, and private individuals. The Administrator of the Fund, Adjoa Obuobia Darko-Opoku, has stated that the Fund has decided to begin by focusing on cancer treatment, with plans to gradually expand coverage based on lessons learned from the pilot phase.
A Life Saved Already
The Deputy Chief of Staff said the fund had already changed at least one life, referring to a beneficiary she identified as Ms. Kobba. “President has turned tears of sadness into tears of joy and gratitude and has saved a life,” she said.
She added: “Every Cedi transferred will reach someone in desperate need. It will fund a cancer patient’s next round of chemotherapy. It will pay for a dialysis session for someone whose family has run out of options”.
Ghana News
Police Arrest Suspect in UCC Student Murder, Mahama Accepts Sophia Akuffo’s Resignation, and Other Big Stories in Ghana Today
Happy Tuesday! Check out the big stories dominating Ghana’s news cycle today. Stay informed.
Police Arrest 39-Year-Old Suspect in Murder of UCC Student Innocentia Avinu
The Ghana Police Service has arrested a 39-year-old man, Michael Mensah, in connection with the murder of University of Cape Coast (UCC) Level 200 student Innocentia Atsufui Avinu. The suspect, who claims to be a teacher but also works as a driver, was apprehended on June 15, 2026, at the Pedu Lorry Station in Cape Coast through intelligence-led operations by the Inspector-General of Police’s Cyber Vetting and Enforcement Team.
Preliminary investigations indicate that Mensah allegedly picked up the deceased from the Ayensu Plaza hostel area on June 11 around 6:48 p.m. and transported her to Hutchland Beach, where she was last seen alive before her body was discovered. Investigations are ongoing, and the police have assured the public of further updates. Read the full story here
COCOBOD Defends Unprecedented Cocoa Price Intervention to Save the Sector
COCOBOD has strongly defended the government’s decision to intervene in cocoa producer prices this season, describing it as a necessary measure to protect farmers and safeguard the industry’s contribution to Ghana’s GDP. Head of Public Affairs Jerome Sam explained that the mid-season price adjustment in February deviated from the usual practice due to challenging global market developments that began last year.
Sam emphasised that without intervention, prices would have fallen further in line with international trends, as seen in neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire. The decision prioritised farmers’ income and livelihoods while ensuring long-term sector sustainability. Read the full story here
President Mahama Accepts Sophia Akuffo’s Resignation from Council of State
President John Dramani Mahama has formally accepted the resignation of former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo from the Council of State. Akuffo submitted her resignation letter in September 2025, with the process delayed at the request of the Council to engage her on any underlying concerns.
Minister of State Felix Kwakye Ofosu confirmed that engagements did not change her decision, leading to acceptance of the resignation. The government has initiated the constitutional process to appoint a replacement. Read the full story here
IEA and Global Info Analytics Release Conflicting Reports on Mahama’s Performance
Two major polling organisations have released sharply contrasting assessments of President John Dramani Mahama’s performance 18 months into his term. The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) reported a decline in approval to 58.9% in its May 2026 survey (down from 68% previously), while Global Info Analytics recorded a rise to 71%.
The divergent findings have sparked intense debate on social media, with public opinion split amid concerns over the cost of living, power supply, and economic conditions. Read the full story here
Ghanaian Master’s Students in UK to Picket Over Unpaid Scholarship Fees
Six Ghanaian master’s students at Loughborough University plan to protest at the Ghana High Commission in London on June 16, 2026, over nearly two years of unpaid tuition fees and stipends by the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat. The students, who commenced studies in September 2024, say outstanding payments total GHC3.42 million, risking their ability to graduate on July 7.
Despite repeated assurances, no payments have been made for tuition or living stipends, leading to withheld graduation documents. The students say they have exhausted other avenues. Read the full story here
Ablakwa: Government Exploring All Channels to Secure Thomas Partey’s Canada Visa
Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has stated that the government is using all diplomatic channels to resolve the visa denial for Black Stars midfielder Thomas Partey ahead of Ghana’s 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Panama. Canada refused the visa due to ongoing rape charges in the UK, where Partey has pleaded not guilty.
Ablakwa described the decision as “high-handed” and unfair, arguing it violates the presumption of innocence. Discussions have been held with Canadian officials, and further administrative and legal options are being pursued. Read the full story here
Military Deployed to Bawku SHS After Student Riot Over Exam Malpractice Crackdown
Military personnel have been deployed to Bawku Senior High School in the Upper East Region following a violent student riot that caused extensive damage to school property and resulted in the assault of teachers. The disturbance erupted around 1:00 a.m. on June 15 after authorities prevented final-year students from engaging in examination malpractice.
One teacher was allegedly kidnapped and another injured and referred to Bolgatanga for treatment. The military was brought in to restore calm and prevent further escalation. Investigations are ongoing. Read the full story here
Bole SHS Teacher Under Investigation Over Alleged Sexual Misconduct with Final-Year Student
Authorities at Bole Senior High School (Bole SHS) in the Savannah Region have launched an internal investigation into a science tutor accused of engaging in inappropriate sexual conduct with a final-year student. The probe was triggered after a video allegedly showing the two individuals in one of the school’s science laboratories surfaced and began circulating widely on social media, causing shock and widespread discussion within the school and the Bole community.
School authorities have initiated formal processes to establish the facts of the case, with a committee scheduled to meet the teacher on Monday, June 15, 2026. Neither the school nor relevant education officials had issued a public comment on the matter at the time of reporting. The incident adds to ongoing national concerns about teacher-student misconduct in Ghanaian schools. Read the full story here
Tuesday, June 16, 2026. Stay informed with today’s front pages of Ghanaian newspapers, all in one place.
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