Public Health Nutrition Implications of the 2024 Global School Meals Survey Data on School Meals in 26 Selected African Countries

It is argued that more could be achieved if African countries utilise the evidence from the 2024 Global School Meals Survey Report and other data sources to inform their practices, decision making and strategic resource allocation towards the prevention of nutrition-related noncommunicable diseases.If evidence is not consistently translated into decision making, strategic planning and implementation practice, all developmental efforts are unlikely to yield the intended results.Therefore, the incorporation of quantified targets and performance indicators for tracking and reporting is recognised as a major improvement in the transition from the Millenium Development Goals to the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2023 adoption of the school meals indicator 4.a.4 on the proportion of school attending children receiving school meals.This study examines the profiles of 26 African countries from out of the total 142 countries across all the continents whose data was captured in the 2024 Global School Meals Report.Data is extracted and analysed to establish the pattern from the 2024 Global Child Nutrition Survey indicators on school meal coverage, sources of funding, infrastructure, nutrition, complementary school health activities and employment.Based on observed trends among the selected 26 countries, recommendations are proposed towards the accelerated achievement of desired school meals targets and realisation of African Union objectives of using the home-grown school feeding approach.