A workshop to validate Côte d'Ivoire's National School Feeding Strategy (SNAS) for 2024-2025 began on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, in Abidjan-Cocody, with the attendance of Eloi Kouassi, Technical Advisor to the Minister of National Education and Literacy.

The workshop, organized by the Directorate of School Canteens (DCS) within the Ministry of National Education and Literacy (MENA), is supported by the World Food Programme (WFP). This strategic document incorporates in-depth analyses of results from the previous SNAS (2018-2022) and makes recommendations to help achieve public goals for school feeding.

This new strategy aims to ensure the sustainability of school canteens and, as a result, improve the academic performance of primary school students. Technical Advisor Eloi Kouassi expressed hope that the workshop would lead to the effective implementation of SNAS 2024-2025 for "enhanced school feeding to support quality education."

On behalf of Minister Mariatou Koné, he extended thanks to WFP, represented by its Country Director, Olivia Hantz, for its continued support. In her response, Olivia Hantz reiterated WFP’s commitment to work with the Ivorian government and MENA to ensure that all primary school students in Côte d'Ivoire have access to healthy and balanced meals at school.

The Director of School Canteens reaffirmed Côte d'Ivoire's goal to provide all primary school students with 80 days of warm, balanced meals in school cafeterias by 2030. "The School Feeding Program is a cornerstone of the Ivorian educational system," he stated.

In addition to MENA, the workshop was attended by technical ministries, technical and financial partners, local governments, and civil society organizations.