The Federal Government has stepped up moves to secure full state participation in the $500 million HOPE Governance Programme by ensuring all 36 states sign the Subsidiary Loan Agreement required to access the World Bank-backed funding.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Deborah Odoh, disclosed this in Abuja while receiving the World Bank HOPE Governance Team during a courtesy visit to her office.
Odoh said the Ministry was working in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Finance to fast-track the signing process, noting that a clear timeline had been developed to ensure all states meet the requirement within the stipulated period.
She reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to providing full institutional support for the effective implementation of the programme, adding that the goal was to achieve measurable improvements in basic education and primary healthcare delivery nationwide.
The World Bank Task Team Leader for the programme, Ikechukwu Nweje, called for stronger engagement with state governments to facilitate the signing of the agreement and enable them to access funds tied to verified results.
Nweje noted that weak governance continues to hinder service delivery in the education and healthcare sectors, stressing that the programme was designed to address the challenge.
Earlier, the National Coordinator of the HOPE Governance Programme, Dr Assad Hassan, said the meeting was convened to brief the Permanent Secretary on progress made so far and the challenges encountered in the course of implementation.
