World Bank, FG Unveil $500m HOPE-GOV Partnership Project in Education, Health
By Hajara Abdullahi
The Federal Government, in collaboration with the World Bank, has commenced the implementation of a $500 million Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity Governance (HOPE-GOV) programme aimed at strengthening resource management in basic education and primary healthcare across Nigeria.
The programme’s commencement was confirmed by the National Coordinator, Assad Hassan, on Tuesday in Abuja during a briefing with the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Deborah Odoh, where the programme is domiciled.
The Programme’s Communication Officer, Joe Mutah, explained that HOPE-GOV was designed to address governance gaps affecting the education and health sectors, particularly at the subnational level. He stated that the initiative comprises two main components — a Programme-for-Results and an Investment Project Financing window.
“$480 million is earmarked to incentivize states to achieve the Disbursement Linked Results in both sectors, while the $20 million Investment Project Financing component has three key areas for implementation,” Mutah said.
He listed the implementing institutions to include state governments, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), the Ministerial Oversight Committee of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.
“One area is programme coordination; the second is verification of results at the state level as well as monitoring and evaluation; and the third is technical assistance for implementing agencies — namely, the states, UBEC, the Ministerial Oversight Committee of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning,” he added.
Hassan identified three core focus areas of the HOPE-GOV Programme: increased financing for basic education and primary healthcare, improved transparency and accountability in budgeting and audits, and enhanced recruitment and retention of teachers and primary healthcare workers.
He further revealed that the HOPE-GOV Programme was approved by the World Bank on September 26, 2024, following successful negotiation of the financing agreement in August 2024. “The Federal Executive Council approved the agreement in February 2025, it was countersigned by the Federal Government in April 2025, and the programme was declared effective in September 2025,” he stated.
All 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory have indicated interest in participating, with Subsidiary Agreements already dispatched to states for execution.
Nigeria continues to grapple with the challenge of out-of-school children, alongside underfunded and poorly equipped primary healthcare centers issues the HOPE-GOV Programme seeks to address.
