The 'School Connect' digital platform is enabling Niger to deliver quality school meals on each school day, ensuring children remain in school and are more focused on their studies. Photo credit: WFP/Adamou Dan Salaou
By Jerry Lemogo
Following the launch of the School Connect Digital Platform pilot in Zinder region in 2021, the government has fully digitized 488 school canteen operations, and plan to further expand coverage to other 1,178 schools this year to improve delivery of the school meals programme.
It’s 12 pm at the Katambage public school in Niger’s Zinder region. Children are heard excitedly rushing out to go to the canteen. It’s lunchtime! And just a stone throw from the canteen, in the cool shade of trees bordering the school playground, two men stand intently over a tablet, fully absorbed in the digital possibilities of the tool in their hands.
“This tool is a game-changer! It makes our work easier, more efficient and interesting. When food supplies are running low, the Ministry of National Education and our partner, the World Food Programme are immediately notified,” says Mr. Harouna Ado, headmaster at Katambage school in Zinder region. “The good thing is the government can monitor every food delivery and distribution in real-time,” explains Mr. Ado. Thanks to the 'School Connect' digital platform launched in Zinder region in 2021 to support Niger’s Ministry of Education deliver quality school meals. Since then, the platform has digitized 488 school canteen operations in four of the seven regions covered by the national programme. This is making it easy for the government to monitor stock levels and track the number of children receiving nutritious hot meals daily. Following the recent Capitalization workshop that evaluated the digital platform, Niger will expand the platform further to be used in the remaining 1,178 schools providing hot meals to 327,000 children.
During that workshop, users of the platform highlighted how it has improved the implementation of school meals, making it easier for all stakeholders to effectively plan and manage the programme. “The reliable data collected through this platform enables swift decision making that directly addresses canteen challenges. For example, we can quickly identify schools in need of supplies and provide targeted support,” says Mr. AlMoustapha Moussa, the WFP focal point for School Connect in the Zinder region.
In a country where many schools are in hard-to-reach areas, the School Connect Initiative has bridged the gap of distance and time, ensuring that crucial information from schools flows easily. Connecting more schools this year will support long-running efforts to eliminate collection of data manually in all schools, which causes delays in providing various services, including replenishing food supplies.
In Zinder alone, according to the regional school canteens manager, Mr. Abdourahamane Awali, this platform is providing an essential service in school meals. “Zinder is a vast region with 440 schools and it’s amazing that we are now receiving in just a day, information that used to come after several months. The digital platform brings real-time data, empowering service providers and decision makers to respond swiftly to the needs of every canteen across the region,” says Mr. Abdourahamane Awali.
Ms. Habsatou Maidagi, head of the Education Support Department, which oversees school canteens, says the platform has become a symbol of how digital innovation can really overcome the toughest logistical challenges, changing the way the government and partners are working in school meals. “One of the benefits we are happy about is the platform’s ability to provide reliable information. This is helping us to prevent cases of fraud in our day-to-day management of the programme. The platform’s performance is encouraging, and that has inspired us to extend its coverage to include other regions, building on the valuable lessons learned in the Zinder pilot,” explains Ms. Habsatou Maidagi.
School Connect is a transformative step forward for Niger’s school meals programme. By providing quick access to accurate information and supporting transparent resource use, the platform is ensuring that children receive their nutritious meals daily, improving their health and learning.