Empirical Study of the Effectiveness of the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme on Pre-Primary Children’s Cognitive Development in South West Nigeria

The National Home Grown School Feeding Programme is a major social investment whose effects on cognitive development among pre-primary children in South West Nigeria have not been rigorously evaluated, representing both a research gap and a policy evidence need. This study empirically evaluated the effect of the NHGSFP on cognitive development among children aged 4 to 6 years in government pre-primary schools across Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo States. A difference-in-differences analysis compared cognitive development scores between 450 children in NHGSFP schools and 450 in non-programme schools at baseline and 18-month follow-up. Cognitive development was assessed using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence adapted for the Nigerian context. Child nutritional status was measured as a mediating variable. Results showed a significant positive NHGSFP treatment effect on cognitive development scores at 18 months (average treatment effect = 8.4 points, 95 percent CI 5.7 to 11.1, p < 0.001). The effect was fully mediated by improvements in nutritional status. Children from the lowest household income quintile showed the largest cognitive gains. Sustained attendance at feeding programme schools was associated with larger effects. The study provides the first causal evidence on NHGSFP cognitive effects in South West Nigeria and recommends programme expansion to all government pre-primary schools, nutritional quality improvement in meal provision, and 5-year longitudinal follow-up to assess persistence of cognitive benefits. Keywords: school feeding programme, cognitive development, pre-primary children, South West Nigeria, difference-in-differences