The Federal Government, in partnership with the World Bank, has begun the implementation of a 500 million dollar Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity–Governance (HOPE-GOV) Programme aimed at strengthening basic education and primary healthcare in Nigeria.
The National Coordinator of the HOPE-Governance Programme, Dr Assad Hassan, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja while briefing the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Deborah Odoh, where the programme is domiciled.
Hassan explained that the credit facility is designed to improve financial management, transparency and human resource capacity in the education and health sectors.
According to him, the funding is divided into two components: a Programme-for-Results (PforR) component and an Investment Project Financing (IPF) component.
He said that 480 million dollars had been allocated to incentivise states to meet Disbursement-Linked Results in basic education and primary healthcare.
“The remaining 20 million dollars under the Investment Project Financing component will focus on programme coordination, verification of results at the state level, monitoring and evaluation, as well as technical assistance to implementing agencies,” Hassan said.
He identified the programme’s core focus areas as increased financing for education and healthcare, improved transparency and accountability in budgeting and audits, and support for the recruitment of teachers and primary healthcare workers to address manpower shortages.
Hassan noted that all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had indicated interest in participating in the programme, adding that Subsidiary Agreements had already been forwarded to them for signing.
He also said that specific Disbursement-Linked Indicators would be tracked and assessed by Independent Verification Agents before funds are released to participating states.
Providing background on the initiative, Hassan said the World Bank approved the HOPE-GOV Programme on Sept. 26, 2024, following successful negotiations in August 2024.
He added that the Federal Executive Council approved the programme in February, the Financing Agreement was countersigned in April, and the programme became effective in September.
In her remarks, Odoh pledged the ministry’s full support to ensure the programme achieved its objectives.
She commended the HOPE-GOV Programme for the progress recorded within its short period of implementation.