20 States to Receive $27m World Bank Performance Incentives Under HOPE Programme

Twenty Nigerian states will receive a combined $27 million in performance-based incentives under the World Bank-supported HOPE Governance Programme after meeting key governance, education and healthcare reform targets.

The National Coordinator of the HOPE Governance Programme, Dr Assad Hassan, announced the disbursement on Tuesday during a retreat for Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries and Directors of Budget and Planning in Abuja.

According to a statement issued after the meeting by the programme's Communications Officer, Joe Mutah, the incentive payments followed the recommendations of the Interim Independent Verification Agent (IVA), which assessed participating states against the programme's Year Zero Disbursement-Linked Results (DLRs).

The HOPE Governance Programme is a $500 million World Bank-supported initiative domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.

The programme is designed to improve financing for basic education and primary healthcare, strengthen transparency and accountability in public spending, and enhance the recruitment, deployment and performance management of teachers and healthcare workers.

Hassan explained that the performance incentives were awarded to states that successfully met specific governance and public finance milestones.

According to him:

DLR 2.1 measures the adoption of comprehensive guidelines for preparing and submitting consolidated Basic Education work plans by March 31, 2025.

DLR 2.2 assesses the adoption of comprehensive guidelines for preparing and submitting consolidated Primary Health Care work plans within the same timeline.

DLR 2.3 requires local governments to adopt harmonised budget guidelines and a unified chart of accounts.

DLR 4.1 focuses on the publication of the 2025 Citizens Budget for Basic Education and Primary Health Care by February 28, 2025.

States and incentive allocations

Hassan said Bayelsa, Borno, Kano, Kebbi and Yobe each qualified for $1.5 million after meeting the requirements for DLR 2.1.

The same five states also earned another $1.5 million each for achieving DLR 2.2.

For DLR 2.3, the following states qualified for $500,000 each:

Adamawa

Bayelsa

Borno

Delta

Gombe

Kano

Plateau

Taraba

Yobe

Meanwhile, 15 states qualified for $500,000 each under DLR 4.1:

Abia

Bayelsa

Borno

Edo

Ekiti

Enugu

Imo

Jigawa

Kano

Kebbi

Kogi

Nasarawa

Ondo

Plateau

Yobe

Some states failed to qualify

Hassan said several participating states were not eligible for the incentives because they failed to meet programme deadlines, did not satisfy the required criteria or failed to publish the required documents on their official state websites.

He identified poor institutional coordination as one of the major factors limiting the performance of some states and weakening programme ownership and sustainability.

The national coordinator disclosed that the Interim Independent Verification Agent is concluding the second phase of the Year Zero verification exercise, which is expected to be completed in July 2026.

According to him, the programme seeks to improve the utilisation of federal and state resources allocated to basic education and primary healthcare, while strengthening transparency, accountability and oversight of public expenditure.

He added that the initiative also aims to improve the implementation of coordinated annual plans and address staffing shortages in schools and primary healthcare facilities through the recruitment and deployment of teachers and health workers.

Hassan further revealed that preparations have commenced for a comprehensive capacity-building plan that will provide technical support to participating states and improve their performance under the programme.