Worldwide, governments are still looking for effective ways to address persistent challenges associated with poverty, hunger, and unequal access to education.

One of the policy instruments that has attracted international attention is the school feeding program, which is an intervention designed to improve child nutrition while encouraging school participation. I did some analysis using secondary data to examine whether Ghana’s School Feeding Program (GSFP) has achieved this goal by increasing primary school enrollment.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) give high priority to the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger. School feeding programs have been widely advocated as an effective means of achieving this objective, especially in low-income settings where food insecurity can keep children out of school.

Ghana launched its School Feeding Program in 2005, becoming the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to implement the initiative under the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) framework.

Beyond addressing hunger, the GSFP was designed to support education outcomes and stimulate local economic activity through food sourcing. The key question, however, remains: Has the program actually increased school enrollment?

To answer this question, I used the Synthetic Control Method, a robust empirical approach that allows researchers to estimate what would have happened in the absence of a policy intervention. I analyzed data from 1999 to 2013, comparing Ghana’s primary school enrollment trends with a carefully selected group of 23 low- and middle-income countries that did not implement school feeding programs during the same period.

The results are clear: Ghana’s School Feeding Program led to a measurable increase in primary school enrollment. After the program’s introduction in 2005, enrollment levels in Ghana rose more sharply than those of its synthetic comparison group. For most post-implementation years, the estimated effects are statistically significant, indicating that the observed gains are unlikely to be due to chance.

These findings align with earlier studies from Sub-Saharan Africa and other regions, which show that school feeding programs can boost enrollment and reduce absenteeism, especially among children from low-income households. While global evidence is mixed, my results suggest that in contexts like Ghana, where food insecurity is a real barrier to education, school feeding can be an effective policy tool.

From an economic perspective, the GSFP demonstrates how social protection policies can generate multiple benefits. The program lowers the cost of schooling for families, by reducing short-term hunger,  making education more accessible. At the same time, higher enrollment strengthens human capital development, which is essential for long-term economic growth.

The findings also have important policy implications. As governments and development partners seek cost-effective strategies to meet SDG targets, school feeding programs offer a promising, evidence-based option, particularly when well-targeted and sustainably financed.

Overall, my research provides strong evidence that Ghana’s School Feeding Program has contributed positively to primary school enrollment. As countries continue to grapple with interconnected challenges of hunger, poverty, and educational access, Ghana’s experience offers valuable lessons on how integrated social policies can make a meaningful difference.