The federal government has unveiled a comprehensive Information and Communication Technology (ICT) system designed to meticulously monitor all aspects of the school feeding value chain.
Aderemi Adebowale, the National Programme Manager for the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), shared this development during an interview with journalists in Abuja on Sunday.
She highlighted that an end-to-end application has been implemented to promote transparency and accountability within the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP).
Adebowale’s comments came in response to public concerns following Vice President Kashim Shettima’s announcement that Nigeria may need an annual budget of approximately N1 trillion to maintain nationwide coverage of the NHGSFP. Shettima made this statement during the National Policy Forum on the Institutionalisation and Implementation of the Renewed Hope NHGSFP, organized by ActionAid Nigeria, where he was represented by Tope Fasua, the President’s Special Adviser on Economic Affairs.
The Vice President emphasized that the programme should not be perceived as a financial burden but rather as an investment in nation-building, promising significant social, economic, and security benefits.
Despite this assertion, many citizens expressed skepticism, citing previous instances of the school feeding initiative plagued by inefficiencies, inflated contracts, and inadequate oversight. Critics voiced concerns that announcing such a substantial budget without a detailed breakdown could undermine public trust.
They pointed out that during the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, the initiative was marred by corruption, ultimately diverting funds away from its intended purpose.
In response to these criticisms, Adebowale assured the public that the newly introduced ICT-based monitoring system would address potential mismanagement.
“We will utilize an end-to-end application to track the movement of funds,” she explained. “For example, cooks will no longer receive payments to purchase food items themselves. Instead, we will directly pay suppliers once we confirm they have delivered to the designated local government areas. These suppliers will then package the food items for the cooks to prepare for the children.”
Adebowale further elaborated, “Our ward verifiers will monitor cooks daily to ensure food is delivered to schools. We will document all activities, providing a live dashboard that tracks the feeding of children across Nigeria, with data securely stored in the cloud.”
She added that a robust platform for Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) has been established, enabling comprehensive tracking from suppliers to farmers, cooks, and verifiers.
The NHGSFP programme manager also noted that the agency is collaborating with various development partners to support social investment initiatives. Women involved in the programme, such as cooks and farmers, will receive training and empowerment through these partnerships.
“The Renewed Hope National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme is now a strengthened initiative in Nigeria, operating with transparency and accountability, unlike previous iterations,” she stated.
Moreover, Adebowale emphasized that all suppliers would be registered on a platform with their National Identification Number and assigned QR codes. “With these QR codes, we can trace the origin of any food item that fails to meet standards, enhancing accountability and quality control.”
The NHGSFP aims to provide meals for 10 million pupils in 2024, with plans to expand to 20 million children by 2025. These goals align with the Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to boost school enrollment and reduce the number of out-of-school children in the country.
(NAN)
