World Bank-backed HOPE programme approves $27m incentives for top-performing states
Five states will receive a combined $15 million in performance-based incentives under the World Bank-supported HOPE Governance Programme after emerging as the top performers in implementing key reforms in basic education and primary healthcare.
The National Coordinator of the HOPE Governance Programme, Assad Hassan, announced this on Tuesday in Abuja during a retreat for commissioners, permanent secretaries and directors of budget and planning from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued by the programme’s Communications Officer, Joe Mutah.
The HOPE Governance Programme, domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, approved a total of $27 million in incentives for states that successfully achieved the Year Zero Disbursement-Linked Results (DLRs).
According to the statement, the incentives were based on the findings and recommendations of the Interim Independent Verification Agent, which assessed states’ performance against the programme’s Disbursement-Linked Indicators.
Bayelsa, Borno, Kano, Kebbi and Yobe emerged as the biggest beneficiaries, qualifying for $1.5 million each under Disbursement-Linked Result (DLR) 2.1 for adopting comprehensive guidelines for preparing and submitting consolidated work plans for state basic education budgets.
The same five states also qualified for another $1.5 million each under DLR 2.2, which measures compliance with guidelines for preparing and submitting consolidated work plans for state primary healthcare budgets.
Combined, the five states will receive $15 million under the two indicators.
Under DLR 2.3, which focuses on the adoption of harmonised budget guidelines and a chart of accounts by local governments, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Gombe, Kano, Plateau, Taraba and Yobe qualified for incentives of $500,000 each.
Meanwhile, 15 states qualified under DLR 4.1, which rewards the publication of the 2025 Citizens Budget for basic education and primary healthcare by February 28, 2025.
The qualifying states are Abia, Bayelsa, Borno, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, Ondo, Plateau and Yobe. Each will receive $500,000.
Explaining the criteria for the awards, Hassan said only states that met the stipulated conditions within the prescribed timelines were eligible.
“The incentives are based on the findings and recommendations of the Interim Independent Verification Agent, which carried out a rigorous assessment of states’ performances against the Year Zero Disbursement-Linked Indicators,” he said.
He noted that many participating states failed to qualify because they either missed deadlines, did not satisfy the required criteria or failed to publish the necessary documents on their official websites.
“Other participating states were not eligible for the incentives because they either published the required guidelines after the March 31, 2025 deadline, failed to meet most of the stipulated criteria, or did not publish the required results on their official state websites,” he said.
Hassan identified weak institutional coordination as a major factor behind the poor performance of some states.
“One of the key challenges observed is the inability of many states to establish effective institutional coordination mechanisms. This has undermined institutional ownership of the reforms and threatens their sustainability,” he said.
He urged states to strengthen collaboration among ministries, departments and agencies to ensure the reforms become permanent governance practices rather than one-off exercises.
The coordinator disclosed that the Interim Independent Verification Agent is expected to conclude the second phase of verification for the Year Zero results by July 2026.
He added that the programme had commenced a comprehensive capacity-building initiative to provide technical support to states and improve their ability to meet future programme targets.
According to Hassan, the HOPE Governance Programme aims to maximise the use of federal and state funding at the facility level for primary healthcare and basic education, promote transparency in intergovernmental transfers and public expenditure, strengthen accountability and address staffing shortages in both sectors.
The $500 million World Bank-supported initiative is designed to improve financing for basic education and primary healthcare while strengthening transparency, accountability and the recruitment, deployment and performance management of teachers and primary healthcare workers across Nigeria.
The latest $27 million incentive package represents one of the programme’s first major performance-based reward mechanisms aimed at driving reforms in the education and healthcare sectors.