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 mealโrice and gravy stew, peanut soup, or beans with gari (the local dish known as “Gobe”)โserved 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 GHยข1.98 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 schoolsโfrom basic to tertiaryโto 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 GHยข400,000 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 caterersโpredominantly femaleโmanage 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 regionsโUpper 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 airโjust 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 toolsโconnecting farmers to markets, employing women as entrepreneurs, and nourishing future leadersโthey 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.
Accra, Ghana โ President John Dramani Mahama has cautioned that the escalating war in the Middle East โ involving joint U.S.โIsrael strikes on Iran and Iranโs retaliatory missile and drone attacks across the Gulf โ is no longer a regional issue but one with far-reaching consequences for the entire world, including Ghana.
Speaking during an Iftar gathering at Jubilee House on March 16, 2026, the president appealed directly to the Muslim community to intensify prayers for divine intervention and a swift end to hostilities.
โThe conflict between the U.S. and Israel, and Iran, is affecting not only the Middle East; itโs affecting the whole world,โ Mahama stated. โAnd so we pray that Allah will touch the hearts of everybody involved in this conflict and bring peace to the people in the area.โ
The presidentโs remarks come as the conflict enters its third week, with reported U.S.โIsrael operations targeting Iranian strategic sites โ including the killing of senior officials โ and Iran launching ballistic missiles and drones toward the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states. The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil passes, has seen significant disruptions, pushing Brent crude prices above $100 per barrel.
Ghana, a net importer of petroleum products, remains highly vulnerable to these shocks. Higher global crude prices typically feed into elevated fuel import costs, which regulators and oil marketing companies often pass on to consumers through adjusted pricing windows. The resulting increases in petrol, diesel, and LPG prices can drive up transport fares, electricity generation costs (where fuel-based plants are involved), and the overall price of goods and services as transport and production expenses rise.
Bank of Ghana Governor Dr. Johnson Pandit Asiama has already flagged the risk, warning that sustained volatility in global energy markets could undermine the countryโs inflation outlook and broader economic stability.
The conflict has also touched Ghanaian nationals directly. Two Ghanaians were among those injured by shrapnel from intercepted drones near Dubai International Airport, though UAE authorities confirmed minor injuries and continued airport operations. Separately, Ghanaian peacekeepers serving with UNIFIL in Lebanon have come under attack amid hostilities involving Israeli forces, Iran-aligned groups, and regional militias.
President Mahamaโs call for prayers and calm reflects both spiritual solidarity and pragmatic recognition of the domestic economic ripple effects of prolonged instability in the Middle East.
Ghana News
How America’s Allies and Partners Have Responded to Trump’s Pleas For Help in the Strait of Hormuz
As the U.S. pushes for international support to secure the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating tensions with Iran, most major allies and partners have responded with caution, prioritizing diplomacy over military commitment.
Here are the key statements from world leaders and officials:
Keir Starmer โ UK Prime Minister
โWe are working with others to come up with a credible plan for the Strait of Hormuz to ensure that we can reopen shipping and passage through the Strait. Let me be clear, that won’t be and it’s never been envisioned to be a NATO mission.โ
Jose Manuel Albares โ Spain’s Foreign Minister
โThe objective must be for the war to end, and for it to end nowโฆ We mustn’t do anything that would add even more tension or cause the situation to escalate further.โ
Sanae Takaichi โ Japan’s Prime Minister
โWe have not made any decisions whatsoever about dispatching escort ships. We are continuing to examine what Japan can do independently and what can be done within the legal framework.โ
Antonio Tajani โ Italy’s Foreign Minister
โDiplomacy needs to prevailโฆ I don’t see any missions that can be extended to Hormuz.โ
Boris Pistorius โ German Defense Minister
โI see absolutely no reason to do so. It’s not our war. We didn’t start it. We want diplomatic solutions and a swift end.โ
Pavlos Marinakis โ Greek Government Spokesman
โGreece will not engage in any military operations in the Strait of Hormuz.โ
Emmanuel Macron โ President of France
โFrance is acting within a strictly defensive framework aimed at protecting its interests, its regional partnersโฆ Freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz must be restored as soon as possible.โ
Lin Jian โ Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson
โWe are in communication with all parties on the current situation and are committed to promoting the easing and cooling down of the situation.โ
Qatar Foreign Ministry Spokesperson
โCommunications are still ongoing with different parties to guarantee the Strait of Hormuz would remain open for goods to reach the Gulf and to export energy products.โ
The overwhelmingly restrained tone underscores a global preference for de-escalation and dialogue over joining any expanded U.S.-led military effort in the critical oil chokepoint.
Ghana News
President Mahama Launches Nationwide โResetting Ghana Tourโ, Fuel Tanker Explosion and Other Trending Issues Today (March 17, 2026)
Stay updated with the latest major stories from Ghana. From a devastating fuel tanker explosion and aircraft crash clarifications to presidential calls for peace, high-profile court developments, rising external reserves, and local petroleum sourcing โ here are todayโs key headlines. New updates are added regularly โ please return soon for more fresh stories.
President Mahama Launches Nationwide โResetting Ghana Tourโ
President John Dramani Mahama will begin a nationwide โResetting Ghana Tourโ on March 18, 2026, starting in the Bono Region. The tour aims to assess ongoing government projects on the ground, engage directly with citizens, and provide updates on key policies and development initiatives. Minister of State for Communications Felix Kwakye Ofosu described it as a way to bring the presidency closer to the grassroots level.
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Woman Arrested Over Viral Social Media Post Accusing Uber Driver of Being a โMurdererโ
A 20-year-old woman, Promise Yayra Asamani, has been arrested by the IGPโs Cyber Vetting and Enforcement Team for publishing false news on Snapchat accusing an Uber driver of being a murderer and thief. The post led to the driverโs account being blocked and him receiving threatening calls. She admitted the claims were based solely on her sisterโs unverified suspicions from a ride and was granted police enquiry bail. Police warned against spreading unverified information.
Read the full story here
Ghanaian Pension Funds Commit $11m to Atlantic Lithiumโs Ewoyaa Project
A consortium of Ghanaian pension funds managed by IC Asset Managers has committed up to US$11 million to Atlantic Lithium for the Ewoyaa Lithium Project in the Central Region. The investment forms part of a larger US$16.4 million package and aims to increase local ownership in Ghanaโs first lithium mine. The funds will support milestone achievements such as parliamentary ratification of the mining lease and project construction.
Read the full story here
CLOGSAG Suspends Nationwide Strike, Gives Government 14 Days to Resolve Pay Dispute
The Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) has suspended its nationwide strike after the government requested more time to negotiate salaries and conditions of service. The unionโs National Executive Committee agreed to a 14-day suspension, instructing members to resume work by March 24, 2026. The strike had disrupted services across ministries, departments, agencies, and local assemblies.
Read the full story here
Fuel Tanker Explodes into Massive Blaze at Potsin Junction
A fuel tanker has exploded at Potsin Junction on the Kasoa-Winneba road in the Central Region, triggering a fierce blaze that consumed a local eatery and two nearby buildings. Thick black smoke billowed into the sky as residents fled the scene; no casualties have been reported so far. Fire tenders from nearby stations were reportedly out of service, hampering immediate response efforts.
Read the full story here
Mahama Calls for Peace in US-Israel-Iran Conflict
President John Dramani Mahama has appealed for an immediate end to the escalating conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, warning that the violence is impacting the entire world. Speaking during a public engagement, he prayed for divine intervention to restore peace in the Middle East amid growing concerns over global security and energy stability.
Read the full story here
Freddie Blay Remanded in Custody as Illegal Mining Case Adjourned to April 9
Former New Patriotic Party Chairman Freddie Blay has been remanded in police custody by the Akropong Circuit Court after appearing on charges linked to the alleged demolition of a house on disputed land in Kitase. The case, which stems from a 2025 police report, has been adjourned to April 9, 2026, for his next appearance.
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Crashed Aircraft Not Owned by Ghana Armed Forces โ Deputy Defence Minister Clarifies
Deputy Defence Minister Brogya Genfi has clarified that the microlight aircraft (Reg. 9G-ADV) that crashed in Tema Community 1, killing both occupants, is privately owned and has no connection to the Ghana Armed Forces. The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority is investigating the incident that occurred while the aircraft was en route from Ho to Accra.
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Ghanaโs External Reserves Rise to $14.5 Billion โ BoG Governor
Bank of Ghana Governor Dr. Johnson Pandit Asiama has announced that the countryโs external reserves have increased to approximately $14.5 billion, providing 5.8 months of import cover. The rise reflects stronger macroeconomic performance, with inflation dropping to 3.3% and a primary fiscal surplus achieved. The Ghana Accelerated National Reserve Accumulation Programme targets 50 months of cover by 2028.
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GOIL Sources About 30% of Petroleum Products Locally โ CEO Edward Bawa
GOIL CEO Edward Bawa has disclosed that the company purchases around 30% of its finished petroleum products from local refineries such as Tema Oil Refinery and Sentuo, depending on market conditions. He noted that locally sourced products are comparatively cheaper, though domestic refining capacity limits further increases.
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