On Monday, July 22, in Lomé, Togo, the ECOWAS Commission, with technical and financial support from Spanish Cooperation, launched 15 field projects to promote local initiatives of integrated school feeding models in West Africa. These projects, selected following a call for proposals, cover all 15 ECOWAS member states. They aim to enhance local production and develop value chains, with the goal of strengthening ECOWAS's operational capacities in various strategic areas.

With a total cost of four million five hundred eleven thousand six hundred nine (4,511,609) USD, the Promotion of Integrated School Feeding Models in West Africa (PMAI-AO) project acts as both a social safety net to mitigate the social shocks caused by food and nutritional crises and a financially sustainable investment in human capital.

The project will contribute to strengthening ECOWAS's operational capacities in various strategic areas, including monitoring and evaluation, capitalization, and communication. It will establish a functional regional exchange mechanism on school feeding.

Regarding the regulatory, institutional framework, and governance, the PMAI-AO will create a regional model for the development of ECOWAS school feeding programs.

Spanning four years (2023-2027), the project specifically aims to improve sustainable access to a healthy and balanced diet for students in vulnerable rural areas.

List of Selected Projects   https://bit.ly/4faGxrf