The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved the establishment of the End School-Age Hunger Fund (ESAH), a dedicated initiative aimed at addressing hunger and malnutrition among school-aged children across Africa.
Approved on March 20, ESAH is designed to strengthen school meal programs in select African nations by expanding and launching new initiatives. The fund will ensure that more children receive nutritious meals while attending school, simultaneously stimulating rural economies through increased agricultural productivity.
The initiative will be implemented in collaboration with the African Development Fund, the concessional arm of the African Development Bank Group. A key supporter of the fund, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), has committed an initial $50 million to kick-start the program.
In September 2024, CIFF and the African Development Bank signed a letter of intent, witnessed by African Leaders for Nutrition Champion and the African Union Nutrition Champion, His Majesty King Letsie III of Lesotho. The Foundation has also expressed readiness to contribute an additional $50 million once the Bank makes its initial contribution. Beyond its financial commitment, CIFF is actively working to attract more donors to the fund. Meanwhile, the African Development Bank is engaging other philanthropic organizations, including the Aliko Dangote Foundation, to strengthen the fund’s financial base.
The ESAH Fund will directly support school feeding initiatives across Africa, ensuring children receive nutritious meals while fostering the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises that provide services linked to these programs. Additionally, it will offer technical assistance to governments, urging them to prioritize school feeding programs as a strategic tool for advancing socio-economic development, increasing school retention rates, and enhancing learning outcomes.
“The End School-Age Hunger Fund will work to secure a five-year commitment from the targeted countries, which is the standard implementation period for the Bank's investment projects,” said Dr. Beth Dunford, the African Development Bank Group’s Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development. “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.”
CIFF is the world’s largest philanthropic organization focused on improving the lives of children. Since 2004, it has received voluntary contributions and donations exceeding $2.4 billion, with its endowment reaching $6 billion by 2020. This robust financial backing underscores its capacity to mobilize resources for impactful initiatives such as the ESAH Fund.
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