The Pan Afrikanist Watchman
The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development hosted a two-day workshop for a high-level delegation from African Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) and World Food Programme (WFP) at Avani Hotel on October 13 and 14, 2021.
The delegation was on a mission to validate the Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) guidelines. The purpose of the validation process is to determine if the format of guidelines is user-friendly, practical, and easy to follow, assess the operational challenges of using the guide, determine if the draft guidelines cover all necessary components of HSGF implementation, and address the common programme challenges experienced at country level as well as ensure consensus and ownership on the use of HGSF guide as a continental tool for guiding HGSF implementation.
At the 26th Session of the African Union (AU) Assembly, African Heads of State declared HGSF as a strategy to improve education, boost smallholder agriculture and overall local economies.
At this session, the African leaders through an Executive Decision instructed the implementation and tracking of progress of HGSF across the member states.
The AUDA-NEPAD has undertaken to develop the HGSF guidelines to support the design and implementation of the HGSF in the continent. There is a draft guideline document and it requires to be validated at the country level.
The Ministry spokesperson, Masego Ramakgathi explained that Botswana is one of the countries which have been selected to be used in the validation of the guidelines.
