By Muhammad Amaan
The Federal Government is collaborating with the World Bank to implement Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity-Governance (HOPE-GOV) Programme.
The (HOPE-GOV) Programme is a $500 million credit facility aimed at improving financial and human resource management in basic education and primary healthcare.
The National Coordinator of the programme, Dr Assad Hassan, said this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.
Dr Hassan spoke while briefing the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Deborah Odoh, where the programme is domiciled.
The coordinator said that the World Bank-assisted credit was split into two components – Programme for Results and Investment Project Financing.
He said 480 million dollars was earmarked to incentivise states to achieve Disbursement Linked Results in basic education and primary healthcare.
He further said that 20 million dollars would support programme coordination, results verification, monitoring and evaluation, and technical assistance to implementing agencies.
According to him, the implementing agencies include the states and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
Dr Hassan said 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 were among the agencies.
The national coordinator identified the programme’s key focus areas as increased financing for the two sectors and enhanced transparency and accountability in budgeting and audits.
He said it would also focus on improved recruitment and retention of teachers and primary healthcare workers to address manpower gaps.
“For HOPE-Governance, our primary objective is to improve financial and human resource management in these two sectors.
“By focusing on increased funding, enhanced transparency and accountability in budgeting and audit processes, and improved recruitment and retention of teachers and primary healthcare workers,” Hassan said.
He added that states participating in the programme had six Disbursement Linked Indicators, which would be tracked by the HOPE-Governance Programme and appraised by Independent Verification Agents before funds were released.
Providing a background to the programme, Hassan said the World Bank approved the HOPE-GOV Programme on September 26, 2024, following the successful negotiation of the Financing Agreement in August 2024.
He said d that the Federal Executive Council approved the programme in February 2025, the Financing Agreement was countersigned in April 2025, and the programme became effective in September 2025.
He said all 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had expressed interest in participating in the programme, adding that subsidiary agreements had been dispatched to the states for signing.
Hassan said that under the Programme for Results component, states were expected to invest in the Disbursement Linked Indicators and would be incentivised upon achieving agreed results.
According to him, Interim Verification Agents will soon be engaged to verify first-year results by state governments.
In her response, Dr Odoh expressed the ministry’s readiness to support the programme to achieve its objectives.
She commended the HOPE-GOV Programme for the achievements recorded within its short period of implementation.
