$500 Million For Schools & Clinics: FG, World Bank Launch HOPE-GOV
THE Federal Government has commenced the execution of the $500 million Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity–Governance (HOPE-GOV) Programme, implemented in strategic collaboration with the World Bank, targeting systemic reform in basic education and primary healthcare through expanded financing, ethical workforce recruitment, payroll transparency, digital supervision, and audit-verified accountability frameworks across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The programme, domiciled in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, is designed as a dual-component credit intervention split into a Programme-for-Results (P-for-R) arm and an Investment Project Financing (IPF) component.
Briefing the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Deborah Odoh, on Tuesday in Abuja, National Coordinator, Dr. Assad Hassan, said that the $480 million PforR component will be used to incentivise states that achieve verified Disbursement Linked Results (DLRs) in financial and human-resource management across the two sectors, including transparent budgeting, recruitment of qualified teachers and primary healthcare workers, payroll integrity, audit compliance, and credible reporting frameworks that eliminate manual loopholes in fund administration.
The remaining $20 million IPF component will finance programme coordination, monitoring and evaluation, verification of results at state level, and technical assistance for implementing agencies, including structured training for officers managing digital supervision and emerging e-pharmacy regulation modules.
Hassan revealed that Subsidiary Agreements have been dispatched for signing to formalise state participation, while key Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) will be tracked and validated by Independent Verification Agents (IVAs) before states receive their incentive payments. He identified the programme’s core focus areas as increasing financing for education and health, closing critical manpower gaps through ethical recruitment, strengthening budget transparency, improving audit trails, enhancing exception reporting, and ensuring that technology-driven supervision supports ethical and compliant deployment of public resources.
Hassan also provided background on the programme’s approval timeline, stating that the World Bank approved HOPE-GOV on 26 September 2024, after negotiations in August 2024, FEC approval in February 2025, countersigning in April 2025, and effectiveness in September 2025. In her remarks, Dr. Odoh pledged sustained ministry support to ensure the programme meets its objectives, describing early progress as commendable, purposeful, and aligned with Nigeria’s broader goals of universal health coverage and improved education outcomes.
