LAGOS HOSTS WORLD BANK-BACKED HOPE-GOV REGIONAL IMPLEMENTATION MEETING

Stakeholders have emphasised the importance of effective public financial management in improving primary healthcare and basic education as part of efforts to strengthen human capital development across Nigeria.

The call was made during a two-day implementation support mission of the Nigeria Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity-Governance (HOPE-GOV) Programme, hosted by the Lagos State Government at Marcellina’s Place, Ikeja.

Speaking to journalists at the event, the National Coordinator of the HOPE-GOV Programme, Dr Assad Hassan, explained the objectives and scope of the initiative, which is domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.

He described HOPE-GOV as a $500 million investment aimed at strengthening financial and human resource management in primary healthcare and basic education across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

According to him, while the related HOPE Primary Healthcare and HOPE Basic Education programmes focus directly on service delivery, HOPE-GOV addresses the public financial management systems required to ensure effective implementation.

“We’re trying to see how we improve budget planning and execution in the two sectors,” Hassan said.

He disclosed that 388 officials from the 36 states and the FCT had recently received training on effective budget planning and execution for the 2027 fiscal year.

He added that the programme seeks to ensure that every naira allocated to primary healthcare and basic education has a realistic implementation plan.

“The whole aim is that at the end of the day, every Naira that is budgeted for these two sectors in each of the states should have a realistic implementation pathway,” he said.

Speaking on the education component of the initiative, the Lagos State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr Jamiu Tolani Alli-Balogun, said the state’s vision was to provide Nigerian children with better educational opportunities, regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds.

He highlighted the growing integration of technology into the state’s education system, noting that digital interventions were being deployed to monitor school attendance, classroom participation and learning outcomes.

Alli-Balogun identified teacher capacity development and professionalism, equitable access to education, digital learning integration and resource distribution as key priorities of the state’s education agenda.

He explained that the government was strengthening teacher recruitment, professional development and motivation to improve the quality of classroom instruction.

On equitable access, he highlighted the implementation of Project Zero, a specialised foundational education initiative designed to identify and reintegrate out-of-school children into the school system, with support including learning materials, uniforms and textbooks.

He also disclosed that smart learning devices were being distributed to senior secondary school students to improve academic performance and prepare them for external examinations, including the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

The commissioner added that the state was working to ensure the fair distribution of essential textbooks, particularly in Mathematics, English Language and Science, across more than 1,028 primary schools and 275 junior secondary schools.

Also speaking, the World Bank Senior Public Sector Specialist and Team Leader of the HOPE-GOV Programme, Mr Ikechukwu Nweje, said the initiative operates through a Programme-for-Results framework, which allows states to use their existing systems to achieve agreed targets and receive funding based on independently verified results.

While acknowledging initial implementation delays and challenges, Nweje expressed optimism about improved performance in subsequent verification exercises.

He noted that the programme was designed to address critical gaps in public service delivery, including shortages of teachers in schools and skilled birth attendants in primary healthcare centres.

According to him, these challenges contribute to Nigeria’s maternal and child mortality rates, as well as the growing number of out-of-school children.

“You can’t teach children when there are no teachers or properly qualified teachers in schools. You can’t reduce maternal mortality or child mortality when you don’t have skilled birth attendants,” he said.

Nweje added that the World Bank’s broader development objective was to tackle poverty from its foundation by ensuring children receive quality education while mothers and newborns have access to life-saving healthcare services.

In his goodwill message, the Lagos State Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr Ope George, stressed the importance of strong institutions, credible budgeting, payroll integrity and evidence-based resource allocation.

He described the regional implementation support mission as an important opportunity to safeguard investments in critical sectors and promote equitable deployment of frontline workers.

“Effective governance demands that we periodically test our strategies against operational realities,” George said.

Similarly, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Mrs Olayinka Ojo, said the region remained committed to providing the necessary coordination, institutional support and administrative leadership to ensure the programme’s successful implementation.

She also appreciated the World Bank and the Joint Task Team of the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning for their technical support and understanding of the operational realities of subnational governments.

Representing participating states, the Focal Person and Director of Multilateral Relations at the Ekiti State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mr Lawrence Omoniyi, said his state had leveraged the programme’s framework to strengthen human capital development at the grassroots.

He disclosed that Ekiti State had employed approximately 1,700 healthcare workers and 1,000 basic education teachers as part of its efforts to improve service delivery.

The two-day regional engagement, which commenced on Tuesday, November 10, and ended on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, brought together officials of the World Bank, federal government representatives and stakeholders from participating South-West states to assess implementation progress and strengthen coordination under the HOPE-GOV Programme.