The World Bank-supported Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity Governance (HOPE-GOV) Programme, under the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, has engaged the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) to support governance reforms in basic education and primary healthcare across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The National Coordinator of the HOPE-GOV Programme, Dr. Assad Hassan, led members of the National Programme Coordination Unit on an advocacy visit to Abuja on Tuesday, describing the NGF as a crucial platform for enhancing inter-governmental coordination to ensure the successful implementation of the programme.
Speaking to journalists, Dr. Hassan said the visit was aimed at briefing the NGF secretariat, socialising the HOPE-GOV initiative, and seeking strategic support, guidance, and opportunities for collaboration to ensure effective implementation nationwide.
He commended the Forum for its leadership in driving strategic interventions that promote governance, service delivery, and outcomes in the basic education and primary healthcare sectors. Dr. Hassan explained that the programme is designed to maximise the utilisation of federal and state funds at the facility level, reinforce transparency, and strengthen monitoring of inter-governmental transfers and expenditures.
He added that HOPE-GOV will support the execution of coordinated annual service delivery plans and improve accountability in spending across all levels of government. The initiative also aims to address staffing gaps in education and health by incentivising states to recruit, retain, and equitably deploy teachers and priority healthcare workers.
“We are also focusing on improving human resources in both sectors, including employment, retention, and equitable posting of staff,” Dr. Hassan said.
The $500 million Performance Incentive Programme is structured around increasing the availability and effectiveness of financing for basic education and primary healthcare service delivery, enhancing transparency and accountability in the financing of education and healthcare, and improving recruitment, deployment, and performance management of teachers and healthcare workers by federal, state, and local governments.
Also speaking at the engagement, Mr. Ikechukwu Nweje, World Bank Task Team Lead for HOPE-GOV, highlighted that the programme provides a unique opportunity to build the capacity of civil servants across states, ensuring sustainability and driving reform in both sectors.
The Director-General of the NGF, Dr. Abdulateef Shittu, expressed optimism that HOPE-GOV would advance the reform journey of state governments by shifting the focus from merely publishing data to using it to improve outcomes, translating fiscal transparency into tangible improvements in schools and primary healthcare facilities.
“Our role is to enable coordination, share practical solutions, and help states move from compliance to performance. Success will depend on early commitment and readiness at the state level as we move into full implementation,” Dr. Shittu said.
