Federal government has announced the disbursement of $27 million in World Bank-backed grants to states that met key governance, transparency, and budgeting benchmarks under the HOPE (Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity) Governance Programme.
Gatekeepers News reports that the initiative is designed to strengthen accountability and improve financing for basic education and primary healthcare across Nigeria.
According to Mohammed Hassan, national coordinator of the programme, the grants were awarded following an assessment by an independent verification agent that reviewed states’ compliance with agreed performance indicators. The evaluation focused on areas such as budget transparency, publication of citizens’ budgets, and the adoption of standard guidelines for education and healthcare spending.
Several states qualified for different categories of funding. Bayelsa, Borno, Kano, Kebbi and Yobe received rewards for adopting comprehensive guidelines for preparing and submitting consolidated work plans for education and healthcare budgets. Other states were recognised for implementing harmonised local government budget frameworks and publishing citizens’ budgets for 2025.
Hassan noted that some states missed out on the grants because they either failed to meet the required assessment standards, published the necessary documents after the deadline, or did not make the documents available on their official websites. He added that a second phase of the verification exercise is expected to be completed later in July.
The HOPE Governance Programme is supported by a $500 million World Bank facility aimed at improving transparency, accountability, and service delivery in Nigeria’s education and healthcare sectors.
