The World Bank has approved three funding operations for Nigeria, totaling $1.08 billion in concessional financing.
These initiatives aim to improve quality of education, strengthen household and community resilience, and enhance nutrition for underserved groups.
The funding includes $500 million in additional financing for the NIGERIA: Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) Program, $80 million for Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRIN 2.0), and $500 million for Hope for Quality Basic Education for All (HOPE-EDU).
According to a statement from the World Bank yesterday, the NG-CARES Programme will help expand access to livelihood support, food security services, and grants for poor and vulnerable households and communities.
The financing for ANRIN is designed to increase access to quality and cost-effective nutrition services for pregnant women, lactating mothers, adolescent girls, and children under five in selected areas.
The new funding for HOPE-EDU is focused on improving foundational learning, increasing access to basic education, and strengthening education systems in participating states.
Originally created as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NG-CARES Programme-for-Results (PforR) operation has reached over 15 million direct beneficiaries.
It has since evolved into a platform providing multi-sectoral support for the poor and vulnerable. Implemented at the subnational level across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, the programme is expected to stimulate the local economy through social transfers, labor-intensive public works, livelihood grants, basic community services, agricultural interventions, and support for micro and small enterprises.
“The additional financing will enhance the programme’s extensive reach and positive impact, particularly as economic challenges persist following the 2023 fuel subsidy reforms and foreign exchange rate unification,” the World Bank stated
ANRIN 2.0 aligns with Nigeria’s National Development Plan (2021-2025), the Multisectoral Plan of Action for Food and Nutrition (2021-2025), and the Nutrition-774 initiative. It takes a multisectoral approach to addressing malnutrition and food insecurity, with a focus on maternal and child health, integrated nutrition services, and household food security.
The programme is set to expand access to preventive and curative nutrition services, improve maternal and young child feeding practices, promote dietary diversity, and increase availability of micronutrient-rich foods.
It aims to provide essential nutritional support to vulnerable populations and reduce the immediate risks of malnutrition and food insecurity. Between 2018 and 2024, the initial ANRIN programme reached over 13 million children under five with nutrition services, according to the World Bank.
HOPE-EDU is one of three interrelated programmes, alongside HOPE-Governance and HOPE-Primary Health Care. It supports Nigeria’s Universal Basic Education programme by implementing structured pedagogy for foundational literacy and numeracy, addressing overcrowding in schools, and decentralizing the allocation and management of education funds.
The programme is expected to directly benefit 29 million children in public primary schools, 500,000 public primary teachers, and more than 65,000 public primary schools and their School-Based Management Committees. Additionally, it will receive $52.18 million in co-financing from the Global Partnership for Education Fund.
The World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Dr. Ndiamé Diop, described human capital investment as a key driver of economic growth.
He said: “These programmes will accelerate education quality and support for vulnerable citizens. HOPE-EDU will drive better education outcomes through bold reforms and targeted investments that equip Nigeria’s fast-growing young population with foundational skills necessary for inclusive economic development.
“Nutrition interventions from ANRIN will enhance household access to micronutrient-rich foods and nutrition services at the primary healthcare level, improve dietary diversity, and provide essential nutritional support to vulnerable populations. The NG-CARES additional financing will help Nigeria transition from COVID-19 recovery efforts to building lasting resilience for households and communities.”
