The Federal Government of Nigeria is stepping up efforts to ensure that all 36 states sign the Subsidiary Loan Agreement required to access $500 million funding under the World Bank-supported HOPE Governance Programme.

The scheme, aimed at improving service delivery in basic education and primary healthcare and backed by the World Bank, is designed to strengthen governance systems in key social sectors and ensure that public resources translate into better services for Nigerians.

Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Deborah O. N. Odoh, dropped the hint in Abuja when she received a delegation from the World Bank’s HOPE Governance Team.

According to her, the ministry has been working closely with the Federal Ministry of Finance to fast-track the process and ensure states meet the conditions needed to benefit from the programme.

She said: “We have been strategising with the Federal Ministry of Finance with the involvement of our Minister Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu. We will put in extra efforts to make it happen even faster given the time constraints. We have a timeline drawn up recently to achieve this.”

The permanent secretary restated the ministry’s commitment to the provision of the institutional support needed to ensure the programme delivers real results across the country.

“I’m glad we are having this meeting, which is long overdue and certainly we are here all the time. We expect to see more tangible results and impact shortly,” she said.

The World Bank Task Team Leader for the programme, Ikechukwu John Nweje, urged the ministry to use all available channels to engage state governments and secure their participation.

Nweje said: “However you can help us to fast track these processes, this will really be appreciated to get this programme up and running in terms of disbursement.”

He explained that weak governance has continued to limit effective service delivery in both education and healthcare, making the programme necessary.

“If the governance part fails, we will continue to have the same problems we are having on the sectoral side. That is why the ministers prioritised governance because they found out that governance is the issue in the two sectors that will help to unlock the ability to deliver results,” he said.

National Coordinator of the HOPE Governance Programme, Assad Hassan, said the meeting was convened to brief the Permanent Secretary on progress made so far and the challenges being faced in implementing the programme.

He noted that the engagement with the World Bank was necessary to review milestones already achieved and discuss ways to move the programme forward.

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

It is aimed at improving transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the management of basic education and primary healthcare, with the goal of ensuring better services for citizens across Nigeria. (The Nation)