The Federal Government has said the World Bank–assisted Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity–Governance (HOPE-GOV) programme is focused on driving long-term reforms in how funds are planned, spent and managed in primary healthcare and basic education across Nigeria.
The National Coordinator of the HOPE-GOV Programme, Mr Assad Hassan, explained that the initiative is not about sharing cash but about fixing systems. According to him, incentives under the programme are tied strictly to measurable results achieved by implementing agencies, including state governments.
Hassan spoke in Abuja on Friday during an implementation coordination visit by the National Programme Coordinating Unit (NPCU) of HOPE-GOV to the Ministerial Oversight Committee Secretariat of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
“For us, it is not just about disbursing money. If you look at the scope of the programme, it is about reforms. Beyond the incentives that implementing agencies will receive, the health sector in particular will benefit from the institutional reforms the programme is designed to achieve,” he said.
A statement issued on Saturday by the Communications Officer of the HOPE-GOV Programme, Mr Joe Mutah, said the visit was part of efforts to strengthen coordination, provide implementation support and ensure that participating agencies meet the Disbursement-Linked Indicators (DLIs) and Disbursement-Linked Results (DLRs) required to access funding.
Hassan said the engagement involved key institutions at both federal and state levels, including state governments, the BHCPF Ministerial Oversight Committee Secretariat and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
“This is something we do regularly with all our implementing agencies — those responsible for achieving the Disbursement-Linked Indicators and Results. We engage them from time to time to provide coordination and implementation support, so they can achieve their targets,” he said.
He added that it was the vision of the NPCU for all implementing agencies to meet the required benchmarks and access the full incentives available under the programme.
Hassan also disclosed that the first coordination meeting with State HOPE-GOV Focal Persons would hold on Monday to further strengthen implementation and alignment across participating states.
He noted that the programme was currently assessing Independent Verification Agents who would evaluate the performance of implementing agencies in the first year of reforms, ahead of incentive disbursements.
In a presentation, HOPE-GOV Programme Officer, Mr Jamil Abdallah, said the initiative is a $500 million Programme-for-Results operation, with funds released strictly based on the achievement of agreed outcomes.
He explained that $480 million is allocated for results-based disbursements to implementing agencies and states, while $20 million is set aside for investment project financing to support programme coordination, capacity building, fiduciary management, technical assistance, verification of results, and monitoring and evaluation.
Abdallah listed the programme’s key focus areas to include improved availability and effectiveness of financing for basic education and primary healthcare; increased transparency and accountability in sector spending; and better recruitment, deployment and performance management of teachers and primary healthcare workers across federal, state and local governments.
He added that implementing agencies are required to publish audited financial statements that comply with International Public Sector Accounting Standards on their official websites within specified timelines as a condition for accessing funds.
“All 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory have signed up to participate in the programme,” Abdallah said.
In her remarks, the Acting Secretary of the BHCPF Secretariat, Dr A
ishatu Abubakar Bajoga, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to working closely with the HOPE-GOV Programme to achieve its objectives.
“We are ready to work together. This is an ongoing process from now on,” she said.
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A key highlight of the visit was an interactive session between officials of the HOPE-GOV National Programme Coordinating Unit and the BHCPF, led by its outgoing Secretary, Dr Ogbe Oritseweyimi. During the session, both sides reviewed strategies for meeting the Fund’s Disbursement-Linked Indicators.
The HOPE-GOV Programme forms part of the Federal Government’s broader effort to strengthen human capital development by improving governance, accountability and service delivery in critical social sectors. By linking funding to results rather than inputs, the programme aims to tackle long-standing inefficiencies in public spending on healthcare and education, especially at the sub-national level.
The initiative also complements ongoing reforms under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund and the Universal Basic Education framework, which are aimed at ensuring predictable financing, better service delivery and stronger oversight across Nigeria’s social sectors.
