Kenyan-based nonprofit organization, Food4Education, has signed a landmark partnership with the Zambian government to strengthen its national school feeding programme and expand its reach from 4.6 million to 5.6 million learners by the end of 2026.
The four-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed between Zambia's Ministry of Education and Food4Education in Lusaka, establishes a long-term technical cooperation framework aimed at improving the efficiency, sustainability and scale of the country's government-led school feeding programme.
Under the agreement, Food4Education will provide technical support in five key areas: policy and institutional coordination, programme design and operational systems, data and digital innovation, budgeting and financing, and infrastructure development. The Zambian government will retain full responsibility for funding and implementing the programme.
Zambia's Permanent Secretary for Education Services, Dr. Kelvin Mambwe, described universal school feeding as a strategic investment in the country's future, saying the partnership will help strengthen systems that improve learning outcomes, child nutrition and long-term economic growth. Food4Education Founder and CEO Wawira Njiru said the initiative demonstrates how African governments can use school feeding programmes to boost agriculture, create jobs and build human capital.
The partnership follows Zambia's introduction of its Free Education Policy in 2022, which added an estimated two million learners to public schools and significantly increased demand for school meals. Food4Education, which has served more than 200 million meals in Kenya since 2012, will leverage its experience in government-led school feeding systems to support Zambia's expansion plans while strengthening local food systems and digital service delivery.
The four-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed between Zambia's Ministry of Education and Food4Education in Lusaka, establishes a long-term technical cooperation framework aimed at improving the efficiency, sustainability and scale of the country's government-led school feeding programme.
Under the agreement, Food4Education will provide technical support in five key areas: policy and institutional coordination, programme design and operational systems, data and digital innovation, budgeting and financing, and infrastructure development. The Zambian government will retain full responsibility for funding and implementing the programme.
Zambia's Permanent Secretary for Education Services, Dr. Kelvin Mambwe, described universal school feeding as a strategic investment in the country's future, saying the partnership will help strengthen systems that improve learning outcomes, child nutrition and long-term economic growth. Food4Education Founder and CEO Wawira Njiru said the initiative demonstrates how African governments can use school feeding programmes to boost agriculture, create jobs and build human capital.
The partnership follows Zambia's introduction of its Free Education Policy in 2022, which added an estimated two million learners to public schools and significantly increased demand for school meals. Food4Education, which has served more than 200 million meals in Kenya since 2012, will leverage its experience in government-led school feeding systems to support Zambia's expansion plans while strengthening local food systems and digital service delivery.
