This report examines why school meals, despite their broad policy appeal, are financed and governed so differently across countries. The starting point is that evidence on nutrition, education, and welfare outcomes is often not enough to explain public investment.
This report develops an empirically grounded political economy account of school meals financing and governance. It combines cross-country analysis with case studies of Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, and Somalia. The analysis asks what political gains governing coalitions obtain from investing in school meals, including electoral credit, legitimacy, patronage, social cohesion, international standing, and evidence of government effectiveness. It also asks which actors—whether national leaders, line ministries, subnational governments, or delivery actors—benefit politically. Additionally, it examines how political narratives make the value of feeding children salient to both decision-makers and the public.
This school meals case study forms part of a collection led by the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition’s "Good Examples" Community of Practice. The School Meals Case Study of Ghana serves to document how the national school meals programme is organized, funded, and monitored throughout the country. The objectives of this case study include presenting an introduction to the country profile, outlining the design and implementation of school feeding programmes, describing their monitoring and evaluation processes, and highlighting lessons learned, best practices, and challenges.
Addo, P; Kushitor, K; Mawuli, K M; Gyinde, A; Ester Gaba, D; and Zotor, B F (2025) School Meals Case Study: Ghana. Working Paper. London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London. DOI: 10.17037/PUBS.04673395
