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São Tomé and Príncipe is a small island developing state off the coast of central Africa, with a population of225,000 people.

It is highly vulnerable tothe effects of climate change and faces development challenges stemming from structural vulnerabilities such as its geographic isolation, the small size of the national market and dependence on imports. Inflation surged to25.2 percent in 2023 as global prices of imports and local food prices rose sharply.

São Tomé and Príncipe has achieved significant results in recent decades,increasing food security,reducing poverty, andraising investment in the introduction of local products in school meals.

However, the resilience of the population in the face of disasters, malnutrition and food insecurity in some districts is a concern for the country. About one third of the population lives onless than US$1.90 per day.

The World Food Programme is supporting government efforts to provide ahome-grown school feeding programme – with related food security and nutrition policies and programmes – throughout the country by 2030. The programme aims to support smallholder farmers, and to be environmentally and socially sustainable, and gender transformative.

What the World Food Programme is doing in São Tomé and Príncipe

Crisis response: WFP supports the Government by providing assistance to populations facing economic crises, such as the 2021 floods that affected a large part of the population in the north of the country. WFP also provides food and nutrition assistance to schoolchildren.
Home-grown school feeding: The national home-grown school feeding programme targets 50,000 children. It is implemented by the Government with support from groups including NGOs and parents, and with WFP’s technical support. WFP enables institutional systems to grow by supporting on policy development, reinforcing accountability and financial sustainability, and incorporating a gender-transformative, nutrition-sensitive, and environmentally sustainable approach.
Smallholder farming: WFP organizes training for smallholder farmers in areas ranging from farming techniques to managing conflicts among producers. WFP also works with the government and NGOs to provide farmers with materials including hoes and picks, reinforce institutional information management, coordination and decision-making mechanisms, and ensure reliable analysis and tracking of the agriculture market and its main workforce.
Gender equality and women's empowerment: WFP supports the government in ensuring equal access to development opportunities for vulnerable girls and women, as part of its school meals and smallholder agriculture agendas. In the northwest of São Tomé, a joint project funded by the SDG Fund is increasing women's opportunities for employment through training in agriculture. WFP is also promoting decision-making by women in relation to food assistance and economic activities.
Capacity strengthening: WFP supports the government in activities that contribute to transformative changes in systems, not just individuals. WFP focuses on reviewing policies and legislation, strengthening institutional effectiveness and accountability, planning and financial mechanisms, programme design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation, and ensuring the involvement of non-governmental groups. WFP will help the Government ensure that programme implementation continues at a large scale, even when a crisis occurs.
Humanitarian air service: WFP supports the Government, WHO and UNICEF, along with other key groups, in receiving and delivering food and medical supplies, and facilitating prompt and strategic deployment of humanitarian staff, via its management of the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service.

Publications

Annual Country Reports - Sao Tome and Principe

29 March 2025

Partners’ support plans for governments' national commitments on school meals programmes in West Africa

19 July 2024

https://docs.wfp.org/api/documents/WFP-0000163901/download/

São Tomé and Príncipe, Capacity Strengthening Activities to Government and Local Communities: Evaluation

26 February 2024

https://docs.wfp.org/api/documents/WFP-0000156758/download/

The challenge of coordination and inclusion: use of social registries and broader social protection information systems for capturing multiple vulnerabilities in West Africa – Regional Synthesis Report 2023

7 December 2023

https://docs.wfp.org/api/documents/WFP-0000154786/download/

2023 - Resilient Food Systems in Western Africa - WFP Contribution to Food Systems Transformation in Western Africa

25 October 2023

2022 - Western Africa Annual Achievements

4 September 2023

https://docs.wfp.org/api/documents/WFP-0000152297/download/

Partners and donors

Achieving Zero Hunger is the work of many. Our work in Sao Tome and Principe is made possible by the support and collaboration of our partners and donors, including:

Ministry of EducationPNASEMinistry of AgricultureCONSANPNN (National Nutrition Programme)

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Operations in Sao Tome and Principe

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Contacts

Office

Avenida das Naçoes Unidas, São Tomé, São Tomé and Principe
São Tomé
São Tomé & Príncipe

Phone

+239 12 21383

Fax

+239 12 22935