Ghana: 4.53 million schoolchildren now receive a meal every day

Ghana is now providing a hot meal to 4,527,636 schoolchildren every school day. The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, announced on Wednesday, September 16, in Accra that the program has a budget of 1,982,902,513 cedis for 2026.

The number of beneficiaries has increased from 4,029,580 students in 2024 to 4,231,059 in 2025, and now to 4,527,636 this year. The budget allocation has also risen from 1,393,659,200 cedis in 2024 to 1,788,009,480 cedis in 2025, before reaching 1,982,902,513 cedis in 2026.

The government is maintaining the subsidy at 2 cedis per meal this year, up from 1.50 cedi in 2024. According to the minister, arrears owed to caterers for 2024 have been settled, and payments for the first and second quarters of the 2025-2026 school year have been made.

The program aims to provide a meal during school hours while supporting attendance and retention of children in school. Authorities have also strengthened the monitoring of the quality and compliance of meals served in participating institutions.

The number of schools under compliance monitoring has increased from 4,419 in 2025 to 8,270 in 2026. The ministry also reports that it has trained 20,171 caterers and kitchen managers in practical nutrition standards.