The World Bank-assisted Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity Governance Programme of the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning has engaged the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to support the implementation of governance reforms in the management of basic education and primary healthcare across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
The engagement took place during an advocacy visit to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday, led by the National Coordinator of the HOPE-GOV Programme, Dr. Assad Hassan, alongside members of the National Programme Coordination Unit. Dr. Hassan described the Nigeria Governors’ Forum as a critical platform for strengthening inter-governmental coordination required for the successful implementation of the programme nationwide.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by Joe Mutah, Communications Officer of the HOPE-GOV Programme, Dr. Hassan was quoted as saying: “It’s in the recognition of the pivotal role that the Nigeria Governors’ Forum plays on fostering inter-governmental coordination and collaboration that we are here to brief the secretariat and also to socialise the HOPE Governance Programme in order to seek strategic support as well as guidance and also to explore avenues for collaboration towards ensuring effective and successful implementation of the programme not just in the 36 states of the federation but also in the FCT”.
Dr. Hassan commended the Forum for its leadership in championing strategic interventions aimed at improving governance, service delivery and outcomes in Nigeria’s basic education and primary healthcare sectors. He explained that the HOPE-GOV Programme is designed to maximise the utilisation of federal and state funds at the facility level in both sectors, while strengthening transparency and monitoring of inter-governmental transfers and expenditure.
He added that the initiative would enhance the execution of coordinated annual service delivery plans and improve accountability in spending on health and basic education across all tiers of government. According to him, the programme also aims to address staffing gaps in the education and health sectors by incentivising states to recruit, retain and equitably deploy teachers and priority healthcare workers.
“We are also looking at improvement in human resources in the two sectors. We are talking about employment, retention and equitable posting of workers in the two sectors,” he stated.
Dr. Hassan further disclosed that the $500 million Performance Incentive Programme under HOPE-GOV is structured around three result areas, including increasing the availability and effectiveness of financing for basic education and primary healthcare service delivery, enhancing transparency and accountability in the financing of both sectors, and improving the recruitment, deployment and performance management of basic education teachers and primary healthcare workers by the federal, state and local governments.
Also speaking, the World Bank Task Team Lead for HOPE-GOV, Mr. Ikechukwu Nweje, said the programme presents a unique opportunity to build the capacity of civil servants across states to sustain and drive the reform process in education and healthcare.
In his remarks, the Director-General of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Dr. Abdulateef Shittu, expressed optimism that the HOPE-GOV Programme would represent a significant stage in the reform journey of state governments by shifting attention from simply publishing data to using data to improve outcomes. He noted that the initiative would help translate 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. As we move into full implementation, success will depend on early commitment and readiness at the state level.
