Abuja, July 1, 2026 – The World Bank is disbursing $27 million in performance-based incentives to some states in Nigeria.
Dr Assad Hassan, the National Coordinator of the programme, disclosed this a retreat for commissioners, permanent secretaries, and budget and planning directors from all the 36 states and the FCT in Abuja on Tuesday.
The fund, supported by the HOPE Governance Programme of the bank, is shared among states that met its critical governance, healthcare, and education targets.
The $27 million grant was split among winning states.
Five states of Bayelsa, Borno, Kano, Kebbi, and Yobe qualified as the leading beneficiary states and received up to $1.5 million each.
They qualified for adopting comprehensive guidelines on state basic education budgets ahead of a March 2025 deadline.
Nine states of Adamawa, Delta, Gombe, Plateau, Taraba, and others) received $500,000 each for harmonising local government budget guidelines.
Several states missed out after failing to meet verification criteria or failing to publish the required documents before programme deadlines.
The HOPE Governance Programme is a World Bank-supported initiative designed to improve financing for basic education and primary healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
It is also to promote transparency and accountability in public spending across both sectors
The funding is also designed to improve financing, accountability, and transparency in basic education and primary healthcare.
