The Federal Government has said the World Bank–assisted Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity–Governance (HOPE-GOV) programme is designed to drive lasting reforms in budgeting and expenditure management across the country’s primary healthcare and basic education sectors.
The National Coordinator of the HOPE-GOV Programme, Assad Hassan, said the initiative focuses on institutional reforms rather than direct cash disbursement, with incentives strictly linked 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 Coordination Unit of HOPE-GOV to the Ministerial Oversight Committee Secretariat of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
“For us, it is not just about dishing out the money, but if you look at the scope of the Program, it’s talking about reforms. Beyond the incentives that our implementing agencies are going to get, the Health Sector in particular is going to benefit from the reforms that the Program is going to achieve,” he said.
A statement on Saturday, signed by the Communications Officer of the HOPE-GOV Programme, Joe Mutah, said the visit was part of ongoing efforts to strengthen coordination, provide implementation support, and ensure that agencies meet the Disbursement-Linked Indicators and Disbursement-Linked Results required to access funding.
Hassan explained that the engagement covered key implementing institutions at both federal and state levels, including state governments, the BHCPF Ministerial Oversight Committee Secretariat and the Universal Basic Education Commission.
“This is something we usually do for all our implementing agencies. It means the people that we are responsible for in terms of the Disbursement-Linked Indicators and the Disbursement-Linked Results.
“Specifically, the States’ BHCPF Ministerial Oversight Committee Secretariat, as well as the Universal Basic Education Commission at the Federal level. From time to time, we engage so that we provide implementation support, coordination, and support to ensure that our implementing agencies are able to achieve their results.
“It is the wish and the vision of the NPCU that all our implementing agencies get to achieve all the incentives that are required,” he stated.
He disclosed that the first coordination meeting with State HOPE-GOV Focal Persons would be held on Monday to further strengthen implementation and ensure alignment across participating states.
Hassan also said the programme was in the process of evaluating Independent Verification Agents who would assess the performance of implementing agencies in the first year of reform implementation ahead of incentive disbursements.
In a presentation, the HOPE-GOV Programme Officer, Jamil Abdallah, said the initiative is a $500m Programme-for-Results package, with disbursements strictly tied to the achievement of agreed outcomes.
“Out of the $500m, $480m is for the Programme-for-Results to be disbursed to implementing agencies and states, while $20m is for Investment Project Financing to support programme coordination, fiduciary management, capacity building, technical assistance, verification of results, and monitoring and evaluation,” he said.
Abdallah outlined the programme’s results areas to include increased availability and effectiveness of financing for basic education and primary healthcare; enhanced transparency and accountability in sector financing; and improved recruitment, deployment and performance management of teachers and primary healthcare workers by federal, state and local governments.
He emphasised that implementing agencies must publish International Public Sector Accounting Standards-compliant, audited financial statements on their official websites within the prescribed timelines as a condition for disbursement.
“All 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory have signed on to participate in the programme,” Abdallah added.
In her remarks, the Acting Secretary of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund Secretariat, Dr Aishatu Abubakar Bajoga, pledged the agency’s commitment to working closely with the HOPE-GOV Programme to achieve its objectives.
“We are ready to work together. This is a work in progress from now on,” she said.
A major highlight of the visit was an interactive session between members of the HOPE-GOV National Programme Coordinating Unit and officials of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, led by its outgoing Secretary, Dr Ogbe Oritseweyimi, during which both sides reviewed strategies for meeting the Fund’s Disbursement-Linked Indicators.
The HOPE-GOV Programme is part of the Federal Government’s broader effort to strengthen human capital development by enhancing governance, accountability, and service delivery in key social sectors. By linking funding to results rather than inputs, the programme aims to address long-standing inefficiencies in public spending on healthcare and education, particularly at sub-national levels.
The initiative complements ongoing reforms under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund and the Universal Basic Education framework, which seek to ensure predictable financing, improved service delivery and stronger oversight across Nigeria’s social sectors.
