The President of the Technical Consultation Framework of the Presidential Initiative (CTC-IP) ‘Ensuring each school-age child has at least one balanced meal per day’ and Secretary General (SG) of the Prime Minister’s Office, Abdou Salam Gampéné, indicated on Wednesday that more than 20 billion FCFA have been invested in school canteens in Burkina Faso by the government and its partners.
“In Burkina Faso, more than 20 billion FCFA have been injected by the State and its technical and financial partners for the feeding of children at school,” said Abdou Salam Gampéné, president of the Technical Consultation Framework of the Presidential Initiative (CTC-IP) and Secretary General (SG) of the Prime Minister’s Office.
Mr. Gampéné also specified that, despite the efforts made, these funds do not allow all schools to be covered with adequate school canteens.
The president of the CTC-IP “Ensure that every school-age child has at least one balanced meal per day” spoke on Wednesday in Ouagadougou, during a national
workshop to validate the preliminary draft law on school food and nutrition in Burkina Faso.
According to him, the Presidential Initiative (PI) is an innovative program that aims to improve the food and nutritional security of school-age children on the one hand, and that of vulnerable households in a state of food insecurity on the other hand.
The Secretary-General of the Prime Minister’s Office stressed that the IP also creates a formal link between local production and the supply of school canteens.
According to Abdou Salam Gampéné, during its ordinary session of March 30, 2022, the CTC-IP recommended carrying out a study on the different approaches to supplying school canteens to identify the best mechanisms guaranteeing optimal supply.
He noted that this study revealed several major causes of dysfunction in school canteens, including the absence of a legal framework of reference.
“This national workshop to validate this preliminary draft law will enable all stakeholders to reach a consensus and take
ownership of the issues of school food and nutrition,” he added.
The Permanent Secretary of the IP “Ensure every school-age child has at least one balanced meal per day”, Alice Sidibé, expressed her gratitude to the country’s authorities for the trust placed in them.
According to her, this confidence is now reflected in the development of a first preliminary draft law on school canteens in Burkina Faso.
“This is not an ordinary text. It aims to regulate all interventions in our country in terms of school food and nutrition,” continued Ms. Sidibé.
For her, the State must rely on the educational field for a harmonious and sustainable development of the country.
Officially launched in June 2021, the IP ‘Ensure every school-age child has at least one balanced meal per day’ aims to promote school food and nutrition in Burkina Faso.
Source: Burkina Information Agency