World Bank Grants $15M to Five Nigerian States for Reforms

The World Bank has approved a $27 million reform incentive package for education and healthcare in Nigeria, with five states—Bayelsa, Borno, Kano, Kebbi, and Yobe—earning a total of $15 million. Each state will receive $3 million for successfully implementing critical government reforms during the program's first year performance assessment.

Assad Hassan, the national coordinator of the Hope Programme, announced the disbursement during a retreat on Tuesday. The incentive package is designed to support states in meeting key reform benchmarks in the primary education and healthcare sectors.

The funds are contingent upon states achieving specific performance indicators, verified by an independent agent. Nine additional states will receive $500,000 for adopting harmonized budget guidelines, while 15 states qualify for the same amount for meeting public finance requirements.

The program aims to enhance institutional coordination among government agencies to ensure sustainable reform implementation.