Over one hundred and twenty thousand pupils in Anambra State are currently benefiting from the National Home Grown School Feeding Program.
This was disclosed at a one day Linkage and Reorientation Workshop in Awka, for Cooks and Farmers in the state, under the National
Home Grown School Feeding Program.
The program was organized by the Anambra State Government, under the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Social Investment Office.
Declaring the workshop opened, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mechanization, Processing and Export Mr. Afam Mbanefo said that Governor Willie Obiano is every passionate about the program, which
has created one thousand and sixty two direct jobs and about three thousand indirect jobs in the state.
Mr. Mbanefo who explained that the workshop was organized to establish
a linkage between the farmers and the cooks in the program, so that the farmers will be supplying products at a reduced price to the
cooks in order to ensure that the program continues to achieve the desired result and objectives in the state.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Social investment Mrs. Chinwe Iwuchukwu who revealed that over one hundred and twenty thousand pupils from primary one to three in the state are currently benefiting from the program in the state, said that there are one thousand and sixty two cooks, serving in one thousand and sixty government primary schools across the state and commended Governor Willie Obiano for ensuring that Anambra is the first state in Nigeria to commence the school feeding program under the National Home Grown School Feeding Program.
Mrs. Iwuchukwu who recalled that the program started in December 2016, under the Federal Government Social Investment Program, explained that the objective of the program among other things is to increase school enrolment and completion, improve nutrition of pupils, increase agricultural production as well as create jobs and improve livelihood.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Economic Planning, Budget and Development Partners, Comrade Leo Imoka, said that the National Home Grown School Feeding is part of strategic ways of job creation and
praised Governor Obiano for having the political will to sustain the program in the state since its inception.
A Cook, Mrs. Grace Okonkwo and a farmer Mr. Ifeanyi Ozoemena described the program as commendable as it will help them to do their jobs efficiently and make proceeds from it.
The workshop attracted all the relevant Ministries and also featured question and answer session.
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