The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved the establishment of a fund to help put an end to hunger and malnutrition amongst school age-children in Africa.
The End School-Age Hunger Fund (ESAH) was approved on 20 March with the aim of bolstering school meal programmes in targeted African countries by expanding existing initiatives and creating new ones so that more children in Africa have access to nutritious food while attending school while simultaneously boosting rural economies through agricultural productivity.
A news report from the African Press Organisation (APO) Group circulated on behalf of the AfDB revealed that the implementation of the Fund, which will be run in conjunction with the African Development Fund, the concessional window of the AfDB Group, includes the participation of the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, which has already demonstrated its commitment by signing a $50 million letter of commitment to establish the Fund.
It would be recalled that in September 2024, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and the Bank signed a letter of intent in which the CIFF undertook to provide up to $50 million for the creation of the End School-Age Hunger Fund , witnessed by African Leaders for Nutrition Champion and African Union Nutrition Champion, His Majesty King Letsie III of Lesotho.
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In addition, the Foundation indicated that it was fully prepared to contribute a further $50 million to the Fund, once the Bank had made its initial contribution as well as committed to supporting broader resource leveraging efforts to attract more donors to the Fund.
At the same time, the AfDB is seeking to engage other philanthropic organisations, such as the Aliko Dangote Foundation, to strengthen the Fund’s donor base.
The End School-Age Hunger Fund will support activities that contribute directly to school food initiatives within the continent, ensuring the provision of nutritious meals to children while promoting the development of small and medium-sized enterprises that provide services related to these programmes. Where appropriate, it is expected to provide essential technical assistance to governments, encouraging them to prioritise nutritious school feeding programmes as a vital mechanism for enhancing socio-economic development, ensuring student retention in schools, and improving learning outcomes and social protection.
Speaking on the Fund and its benefits, AfDB Group’s Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, Dr. Beth Dunford, said: “The End School-Age Hunger Fundwill work to secure a five-year commitment from the targeted countries, which is the standard implementation period for the Bank’s investment projects.
“The implementation period is long enough to establish a solid proof of concept to ensure the continuation of the initiative beyond the initial funding phase”, the banker added.
The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation is the world’s largest philanthropic organisation dedicated specifically to improving the lives of children. Since 2004, the Foundation has received voluntary contributions and donations totalling over $2.4 billion.
Over the past ten years, the Foundation’s endowment has grown to a value of $6 billion (2020), which highlights the potential opportunity it offers in terms of harnessing resources.
