The African Development Bank’s board of directors has approved the establishment of a fund to help end hunger and malnutrition among children in African grades.
The End School Era Hunger Fund (ESAH) was approved on March 20 with the aim of expanding existing initiatives, creating new initiatives and strengthening school lunch programs in targeted African countries by supporting the rural economies through agricultural productivity while increasing the number of children in Africa access to nutritious foods.
The implementation of the fund, which operates in conjunction with the African Development Fund, the African Development Bank Group’s concession window, includes participation by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.
In September 2024, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and the Bank signed an intent that CIFF undertaken to provide up to $50 million to the creation of the Final School-Age Hunger Fund, witnessed by African leaders for the dignified King Lessy III of Lesoso, African leader of the Nutrition Champion and African Union Nutrition Champion. Additionally, the foundation has shown that after the bank’s initial contributions it is ready to give another $50 million to the fund. The Foundation is committed to supporting efforts to leverage broader resources to attract more donors to the fund. At the same time, African Development Banks are seeking to engage with other charities, such as the Alico Dangote Foundation, in order to strengthen the fund’s donor base.
End School Era The Hanger Fund supports activities that directly contribute to schools across the continental schools’ food initiatives and ensures the provision of nutritious meals to children while promoting the development of small businesses that provide services related to these programs. If necessary, it is expected to encourage governments to provide essential technical assistance, strengthen socioeconomic development, ensure student retention in schools, and prioritize nutritious school feeding programs as an important mechanism for improving learning outcomes and social protection.
“School-age hunger funding is working to ensure a five-year commitment from the target country, the standard period for bank investment projects,” said Dr. Beth Dunford, vice president of agriculture, human and social development at the African Development Bank Group. “The implementation period is long enough to establish solid proof of concept to ensure the initiative continues beyond the initial funding stage.”
The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation is the world’s largest charity dedicated specifically to improving children’s lives. Since 2004, the foundation has received over $2.4 billion in voluntary donations and donations. Over the past decade, the donations have grown to a value of $6 billion (2020). This highlights the potential opportunities offered in terms of resource utilization.
