The Federal Government, in partnership with the World Bank, has commenced implementation of a $500 million Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity–Governance (HOPE-GOV) Programme aimed at strengthening financial and human resource management in basic education and primary healthcare across Nigeria.
The National Coordinator of the HOPE-GOV Programme, Mr Assad Hassan, confirmed the take-off on Tuesday in Abuja while briefing the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mrs Deborah Odoh, where the programme is domiciled.
A statement by the programme’s Communications Officer, Mr Joe Mutah, said the intervention seeks to address long-standing governance gaps in the education and health sectors, particularly at the sub-national level, amid persistent challenges such as high numbers of out-of-school children and poorly funded and understaffed primary healthcare centres.
Hassan explained that the World Bank-assisted facility is structured into two components: a Programme-for-Results (PforR) and an Investment Project Financing (IPF) window. Of the total funding, $480 million is earmarked to incentivise states to achieve clearly defined Disbursement-Linked Results in basic education and primary healthcare, while the remaining $20 million will support programme coordination, independent verification of results, monitoring and evaluation, and technical assistance.
He said implementing institutions include state governments, the Universal Basic Education Commission, 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.
According to Hassan, the programme focuses on three core areas: 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.
Participating states, he noted, will be assessed using six Disbursement-Linked Indicators, which will be tracked by the programme and independently verified before funds are released. Under the Programme-for-Results component, states are expected to invest upfront to meet agreed targets before receiving performance-based incentives.
“The way the programme is designed is that you achieve results in one year and get incentivised, and that incentive is reinvested to deliver results in the following year,” Hassan said.
READ ALSO: World Bank Raises Alarm: 139m Nigerians Sink Deeper Into Poverty Despite Reform Gains
Providing background, he said the World Bank approved the HOPE-GOV Programme on September 26, 2024, following the 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 became effective in September 2025.
Hassan added that all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory have indicated interest in participating, with subsidiary agreements already sent to states for execution, while Interim Verification Agents would soon be engaged to validate first-year performance.
Responding, Odoh pledged the ministry’s full support to ensure the programme achieves its objectives and described HOPE-GOV as critical to improving education and healthcare service delivery outcomes.
The programme comes amid Nigeria’s continued low ranking on global education and health indicators and is designed to reward measurable performance by linking financing directly to verifiable results.