What: Celebration of the 8^th Africa Day of School Feeding: “Boosting Local Food Procurement Systems and Regional Value Chains: The role of AfCFTA for Sustained Home-grown School Feeding Programmes and Improved Learning”.  

Where:

• Pre-Event - Technical Meeting: Virtual
• Main Events - African Union Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Marrakesh, Morocco.
• Register to participate in the Addis Ababa Event on the link below.  https://forms.gle/MjNqW98jgSJ1cQzC9

When:            

• Pre-Event Technical Meeting: 27^th February 2023 (11:00 am – 17:00 EAT) : https://zoom.us/j/95593694426?pwd=TmFVQktobzkzdjFNeTRPRC9FRUhhdz09
• 1^st March 2023 (09:00 am – 15:35 EAT) – High-Level ADSF Celebrations at the AUCC, Medium Conference Hall.
• On 1^st March High-Level ADSF Celebrations will  also take place in Morocco

Who:

African Union through the Department of Education, Science, Technology, Innovation and AUDA-NEPAD, in Partnership with the World Food Programme, UNICEF, UNESCO, FAO, and AFECN, Nutrition International.

Keynote Speaker:

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Event:  H.E. Sahlework Zewudie H.E. Prof Mohammed Belhocine - Commissioner, ESTI; Minister for Education – Prof Berhanu Nega ; Mayor of Addis Ababa City- Abdanetch Abiebie; Mr. David Beasley, Executive Director- WFP, Representative of other UN Agencies.

               Marrakech, Morocco Event:  Minister of Health and Social Protection – M. Khalid Ait Taleb; Commissioner for HHS - H.E. Minata Samate Cessouma, Representative of other UN Agencies.

Background information:

The 8th Africa Day of School Feeding is aimed at heightening the importance of investing in school feeding programs, giving due consideration of backlogs created by COVID-19 pandemic. This can bring economic returns for long-term and sustainable development,

especially reflected in agriculture, Human Capital, nutrition, education, and community resilience.

Aligning with the tune of the year 2023 of AU: “Acceleration of AfCFTA Implementation”, this year’s ADSF theme categorically states that school feeding is an investment, not mere spending of national resources. It buttresses the fact that school feeding has short, medium- and long-term dividends to our children, and income to local communities who produce and trade in the food systems.  A dollar spent on school feeding is likely to generate more dollars. The endeavor is not a waste by any measure. The theme also implies that with school feeding scaled up through effective procurement and supply chains we would educate and increase knowledge and improve their livelihoods which otherwise the children might be tempted to join armed groups and terrorist group. It also clearly underscores that the School Feeding Programme promises realization of the first aspiration of Africa Agenda 2063: The Africa we Want”, which states in part “Africa’s human capital will be fully developed as its most precious resource, through sustained investments based on universal early childhood development and basic education”

OUTCOMES:

1. Galvanize actions for speed and scale in transforming school meal programs in Africa to tackle the multiple crises and ensure that they are effective, efficient, and equitable through enhanced supply chains and procurement systems.
2. Take stock of the progress of ongoing initiatives at the continental, regional, and at national levels in implementing homegrown school feeding and encouraging national
3. commitments towards the scale-up and quality improvement of school feeding programmes.
4. Share knowledge of the immediate and potential dividends of homegrown school feeding as a result of shared experiences and research products.
5. Discuss and agree on priority actions to strengthen Home Grown School Feeding   in Africa by effectively implementing the ACFTA, for consideration by the meeting of the Specialized Technical Committee on Education, Science, and Technology

For inquiries, please contact: 

Mr. Abraham Asha Hereno | Programme Officer| Department of Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation | African Union Commission | E-mail: HambaniM@africa-union.org

For media inquiries, please contact: 

Faith Adhiambo, Communications Officer- Agenda 2063 Information and Communication Directorate | African Union Commission Tel: +251 115 517 700 | E-mail: ochiengj@african-union.org | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Information and Communication Directorate, African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org