Health taxes for school meals: unlocking fiscal space for school health and nutrition in Africa

Across Africa, health taxes – that is, excise duties on tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) – represent one of the most underutilised but promising domestic revenue sources available to African governments. Governments in the region collect only a fraction of what they could from these taxes. Channelling even a portion of this untapped revenue toward school meals and complementary school health and nutrition programmes, including WASH in schools (WinS), could help close the coverage gaps and deliver progressive benefits for the most vulnerable children.