Determined to end child hunger in Africa, the AfDB approves the establishment of a fund worth tens of millions of dollars.

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved the establishment of a fund aimed at helping to end hunger and malnutrition among school-aged children across the continent.

The African Development Bank (AFDB) has given the green light to the establishment of a fund to support school meal programs in target countries across the continent. (Source: AfDB)

The End School-Age Hunger Fund (ESAH), approved on March 20th, aims to support school meal programs in target African countries by expanding existing initiatives and creating new ones, enabling more children to access nutritious food during their school years. Simultaneously, the fund aims to boost rural economies through increased agricultural productivity.

The fund's deployment will be carried out in conjunction with the African Development Fund – AfDB's concessional window – with the participation of the Children's Investment Fund (CIFF), which has demonstrated its commitment by signing a $50 million pledge to support the fund's establishment.

Last September, CIFF and AfDB signed a letter of intent in which CIFF committed to providing $50 million to establish the Fund to End School-Age Hunger, witnessed by King Letsie III of Lesotho. Additionally, the fund is prepared to contribute another $50 million after the AfDB makes its initial contribution, and the AfDB seeks to attract other charities, such as the Aliko Dangote Foundation, to bolster the fund's funding.

The ESAH Fund will focus on directly supporting school food initiatives across Africa, aiming to ensure nutritious meals for children and create opportunities for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises that provide services related to these programs.

At the appropriate time, the Fund anticipates providing essential technical support to governments , encouraging them to prioritize programs that provide nutritious food in schools as a key mechanism for enhancing socioeconomic development, ensuring school retention, improving learning outcomes, and promoting social protection.

According to Dr. Beth Dunford, Vice President for Agriculture , Human and Social Development at the AfDB, the ESAH Fund will "commit to implementation over a five-year period in target countries." This is a standard timeframe for bank investment projects, long enough to build tangible evidence to ensure the initiative continues to develop after the initial funding period ends.

CIFF is the world's largest charity dedicated to improving the lives of children. Since 2004, the fund has received donations and contributions totaling over $2.4 billion. Over the past 10 years, the fund's value has increased to $6 billion (in 2020), creating significant opportunities to mobilize and utilize financial resources to support its mission of helping children globally.

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